‘Sources’ say Glazers want ‘outright sale’ at Old Trafford

Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, are believed to want a majority sale of the club, journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed to GIVEMESPORT.

It was announced in November that the Glazers were open to selling United after a 17-year reign at Old Trafford.

What’s the latest news on the Glazers and Man United?

Since taking over in May 2005, the Glazers’ tenure of majority United owners has been plagued by controversy. Riddling the club with debt upon arrival, the Glazers’ ownership of United has been met by fierce opposition from the Old Trafford faithful.

In April 2021, United fans forced their clash with Liverpool to be postponed after breaching the Old Trafford gates and storming the pitch. It’s just one of a number of protests performed by the United supporters in opposition to their American owners.

Supporters of the ownership – and likely the Glazer family themselves – will point towards the club’s spending in recent years as a positive. It’s undeniable that United have spent and will continue to spend big in the transfer market, with the club’s summer 2022 net spend coming in at just under £200 million. What’s more, United’s reported wage bill is the highest in the league, eclipsing local rivals and Abu Dhabi-funded Manchester City by over £15 million per year.

However, for many United supporters, it’s the off-the-field stagnation that has triggered bitterness towards the Glazers. Despite boasting the tag of England’s biggest club football stadium, Old Trafford’s continued deterioration has left the ground in desperate need of repairs. It’s argued that the Glazers’ ownership of United has cost the club over £1 billion – money that critics suggest could’ve been invested elsewhere.

But now, it appears after almost two decades in charge, the Glazers’ reign at Old Trafford could be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

What has Jacobs said about the Glazer family and United?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT journalist Jacobs issued an update surrounding the potential sale, indicating that the Glazers might want out as soon as possible.

“At Manchester United, it’s a harder sell [for incoming transfers], because the Glazers loosely speaking see themselves as outgoing,” Jacobs told GMS.

“I say loosely because the possibility of a sale is still being worked on and publicly the Glazers might say that sale will only be a minority investment.

“But there’s a real feeling from sources that their preference is an outright sale and that things are moving quite fast in the context of a sale.”

Who could take over from the Glazers at United?

According to The Athletic, the most recent valuation of the club came in at around $4.6 billion, which equates to somewhere between £3.7 billion and £3.85 billion. However, this isn’t necessarily the price United will be sold for, with market valuations and the demands of the Glazers set to impact the sale. As recently as May 2022, Chelsea, who aren’t considered to be anywhere near the commercial giant United are, were bought for £4.25 billion by the Todd Boehly-led consortium.

One of the frontrunners in the bid to buy United is Jim Ratcliffe – a British businessman and owner of Ineos. It’s mooted that Ratcliffe would be interested in bidding for United, having turned down a similar opportunity to buy Liverpool. Elsewhere, it is also reported that the Glazers had met with potential Middle Eastern investors during the World Cup in Qatar, as interest around the sale of United begins to hot up.

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