A group of investors from the United Arab Emirates who are interested in acquiring Manchester United are exploring whether they can form a consortium, GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs has revealed.
They are reported to have already approached some ex-United players about coming on board as ambassadors rather than to invest, as reports had previously suggested.
Jacobs reports that the UAE investment group have not yet advanced their interest in the Old Trafford club and are currently focused on forming their consortium, with no bid submitted at this stage.
The report follows sensational claims by Saudi sports chief Turki Alalshikh, who shared a cryptic message on social media last week, hinting that United could be sold to a new investor and are in an ‘advanced stage’ of finalising a deal.
UAE-Based Group Interested in Man Utd
According to Jacobs, Manchester United’s majority owners, the Glazer family, have not yet been directly alerted by the UAE-based group to their interest in acquiring the Old Trafford club:
The Glazers sold a 27.7% stake to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group last year for £1.25bn. The British billionaire raised his ownership share to 28.94% by injecting a further £79.3m last December.
The deal also included a ‘drag-along’ clause, which came into effect in August, requiring Ratcliffe to either sell his shares or match any offer the Glazers accept from interested parties.
The Glazers rejected a takeover bid from Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani’s Qatari consortium before selling a stake in the club to INEOS, who have since taken control of football operations at Old Trafford.
United have endured disappointing results since, finishing 15th in the Premier League under Ruben Amorim last season and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Portuguese tactician, who replaced Erik ten Hag in November last year, has yet to win back-to-back league games since his appointment, picking up just 37 points from 34 Premier League matches.
United are sitting 10th in the Premier League after seven games and next take on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
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