Manchester United fans are hoping that the Glazers' ownership of their club will soon come to an end. Fans have been protesting more frequently in recent months, but who will buy the club?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a boyhood United fan, is one very interested party. However, in a recent interview with the Financial Times, he played down the chances of him buying the club.
"It [United] is owned by the six children of the father and they don't want to sell," he said. "I met Joel and Avram and they are the nicest people. They are proper gentlemen.
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"If it had been for sale in the summer, yes, we would probably have had a go following on from the Chelsea thing. But we can't sit around hoping that one day Manchester United will become available."
Ratcliffe owns Swiss club Lausanne and French outfit Nice, so he is already well-represented in football. However, if he was to buy United, that would obviously become the jewel in the Ineos crown. But, at this moment in time, the club is not for sale.
However, a recent report by the Daily Star claims that the Glazers could be open to selling, but it would take a world record bid of around $10billion (£8.62bn) to convince them to do so.
If the club was sold for $10bn, it would make United the most valuable sports brand in the world. NFL side the Dallas Cowboys are currently the most valuable side in the world at $8bn followed by the New England Patriots at $6.4bn. Baseball team the New York Yankees complete the top three.
A sale of $10bn would also usurp the biggest sporting sale of all time, which happened in 2022 when the Denver Broncos were sold for $4.65bn. So, in that regard, it seems incredibly unlikely to happen.
United fans will be disappointed given the recent unrest over the Glazer ownership and protests are expected to continue against Newcastle United on Sunday. But only time will tell whether a significant change will happen in the future.
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