Is a change of ownership in the offing at Manchester United? One of Britain’s richest has expressed interest in a takeover – but there are big hurdles.
With his announcement that he wants to buy Manchester United, Elon Musk caused a brief but fierce stir on Twitter just this week. Now, there could actually be movement on a change of ownership at England’s record champion – but without Musk.
While the tech billionaire had his tweet debunked as a joke a little later, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has now expressed interest in a takeover and is apparently serious. “If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer,” a spokesman for the 69-year-old billionaire and founder of chemicals group Ineos told The Times.
Would the Glazers even sell?
Ratcliffe, one of the richest people in Britain, is from Greater Manchester and had only thrown his hat into the ring after Roman Abramovich quit Chelsea FC. Now he is the new hope of numerous ManUnited fans who have been protesting for years against the current owners, the US-American Glazer family.
The Glazer family is said to be prepared to sell shares, but it is unclear whether they would also be prepared to give up a majority stake – and even more so whether they would be able to reach a financial agreement with a successor. In the English media, there is talk that the Glazers could call for seven billion euros. The spokesman stressed that Ratcliffe was in principle ready for talks “with a view to long-term ownership”.
Ratcliffe “feels the time has come for a fresh start “
Ratcliffe is apparently keen to revive the current Premier League bottom club, which missed out on Champions League qualification last season and is currently going through a difficult transfer window: “Jim is looking at what can be done now and because he knows how important the club is to the city, he feels the time is right for a fresh start. “
