Several parties have surfaced as potential buyers ever since the Glazers indicated their readiness to sell Manchester United.
A consortium, wealthy individuals, oil states, and a multinational company are all in the running as bids are anticipated by the end of the next week. Here are some of the interested parties.
Qatari investors
Private investors linked to the Qatari royal family are reported to have registered their interest in buying United with the Raine Group, the advisors appointed by the Glazers to help oversee the sale of the club.
These investors are believed not to be linked to Qatar Sports Investments, the group that owns Paris Saint-Germain. And Sky Sports reckons they won’t overpay or go near the Glazers’ £6billion valuation when the New York Stock Exchange valuing the club at just over half that amount. But Qatari investors could seek backing from Qatar Investment Authority, which is said to be worth around £360billion.
Investors from Saudi Arabia are said to have registered an initial interest in buying United. The country’s Public Investment Fund has been credited with an interest before but any fresh offer would have to come from private investors in the wake of PIF taking ownership of Newcastle. Interested parties in Qatar are certainly expecting a scrap with Saudi rivals over the keys to the Old Trafford door.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The Ineos owner, one of Britain’s richest man, has confirmed his interest in buying United some time ago. Or rather, his spokesman did: “We have formally put ourselves in the process.”
According to The Telegraph, Ratcliffe has been collaborating with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase to generate the funds necessary to submit a proposal that the Glazers could find acceptable. They are “willing to support his bid with bonds and loans in excess of the value of the club’s existing debt of £659 million.”
Ratcliffe is looking for support because it would be difficult for him to purchase the club on his own alone. Ratcliffe’s wealth was estimated by The Sunday Times to be worth £6.075 billion, and the Glazers want control for between £5 billion and £6 billion.
Ratcliffe’s interest dates back some time, with the 70-year-old having supported United since he was a boy. That didn’t stop him from attempting to buy Chelsea but his £4.25billion offer was rejected under the sale process overseen by the British government. The Manchester-born billionaire also owns Ligue 1 side Nice, FC Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland, cycling team INEOS Granadiers, and he also has has a third of the Mercedes F1 team. But United would be, bar far, his biggest sports investment to date.
US consortiums
Some reports suggest there will be four groups making ‘serious’ bids for United and other suggest it will be five. Among them, it is expected that heavy interest will come from financier-led consortiums in the United States.
That being true, these American bidders are keeping their cards close to their chest while interested parties are getting a look at United’s books. The Ricketts family, owner of the Chicago Cubs MLB franchise and one of the final four bidders for Chelsea before Todd Boehky and his pals won the race, are understood not to be in the running.
Investment firm Sixth Street, based in San Francisco with links to Barcelona and Real Madrid, were rumoured to be interested in buying a minority share in United. But they were happy to deny that while everyone else across the Atlantic keeps shtum.
Apple
It was widely reported at the back end of last year that tech giants Apple are interested in buying United for £5.8million. Apparently, CEO Tim Cook was ‘keen to explore the opportunities owning United could provide’. United would become the richest club in the world with Apple’s net worth estimated at around £2trillion, though sales at their Liverpool store might take a hit. The windows too…
Amancio Ortega
Forbes ranks Ortega, the chief of the Inditex group that owns Zara, as the 19th-richest person in the world. The 86-year-old Spaniard is apparently worth £61.3billion and the Manchester Evening News says he informed senior executives of his interest in buying the club. Ortega has no sporting investments in his portfolio, with real estate said to be the primary source of his wealth.
Facebook, Amazon
The Tech giants were ‘credible’ and ‘serious’ bidders for United, according to the Daily Mail. Both companies have invested heavily in sports previously, though buying a team or franchise, especially the most expensive one in the world, is a different prospect entirely. Seems… unlikely.
Red Knights
A consortium led by former Goldman Sachs boss and United fan, Lord Jim Neill, tried to tempt the Glazers into selling the club for £1.25billion 12 years ago but were ultimately unsuccessful. The Manchester Evening News spoke to O’Neill, who said he would be interested in getting the band back together. But not unless the Glazers reduce their current demands. When asked about a possible price of £5billion, O Neill said: “I don’t think that’s realistic, especially as the few smart people that might be vaguely capable of putting those kinds of sums together can see the same information the Glazers can see.”
Mukesh Ambani
India’s richest man was mentioned by the Daily Mail as a possible suitor, seemingly on the basis that his Scrooge McDuck pit contains around £76billion. The founder of Reliance Industries, and owner of IPL team Mumbai Indians, has been linked with a bid for Liverpool but his spokesperson denied he was interested. Apparently, his son is an Arsenal fan, which may or may not be relevant.
David Beckham
The former United midfielder has a few quid in the bank, but he can’t pull it off on his own. The FT said Becks was ‘open to holding talks with potential bidders’, including Ratcliffe, or perhaps the pair below. Rio Ferdinand spoke to Beckham at the England game against USA last year and the former defender reckons his ex-team-mate will team up with parties with much greater resources: “When you mention someone like Becks’ name, he’s obviously a part-owner of Inter Miami, but he doesn’t come (alone). It’s not his money. It’s not him in terms of putting his hand in his pocket. He comes with a consortium. He comes with people who have the deep pockets who have the ability to go and execute on a deal like that. So that’s the way he’ll be approaching it, and rightly so.”
