Exclusive 💣: Billionaire linked to Manchester United
Sources close to the situation say members of the Glazer family are again considering whether to sell some or all of their remaining stake in Manchester United.
The discussions are understood to have started among individual family members and then widened, with some hoping others will join a broader sale.
That would be consistent with reporting earlier this summer that the family has been studying options after more than two decades of ownership.
United’s structure still matters. The Glazers retain majority voting control through Class B shares. INEOS, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, holds a minority stake of just under 29 per cent and already runs football operations.
Any serious change in ownership would therefore involve more than a simple share sale. Drag-along provisions from the 2024 deal also remain part of the picture if a full-club transaction ever materialises.
Interest from the Middle East is being mentioned again. One name circulating among sources is a high-profile investor linked to DAMAC Properties, the Dubai-based group founded by Hussain Sajwani. Sajwani’s fortune is estimated in the mid-teens of billions of dollars. That would put him among the few private investors theoretically able to look at an asset of United’s scale.
There is no public confirmation of a formal bid.
We asked a source familiar with INEOS whether the group would seek full ownership if the Glazers put a controlling stake on the market. There was no comment.
Nothing is agreed. Family members are not united, valuations would be high because of the voting rights attached to the Glazer shares, and previous processes have collapsed. But the direction of travel is clear: some of the current owners are looking at an exit, and well-capitalised overseas investors are watching.
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