Are Glazers leaving United? Are 'Red Devils' headed towards a Saudi takeover? All you need to know on possible takeover

Discussions surrounding the sale of English football giants Manchester United are doing the rounds nearly two years since the Jim Ratcliffe-led INEOS group acquired a minority stake in the club. As was the case in 2023, United once again are linked to a Saudi takeover as the possibility of the Glazer Family moving out of the Old Trafford for gathers steam in mainstream as well as social media.

What triggered the possibility of a sale in the near future was the activation of a clause hidden in fine print which allows the Glazer Family to sell their majority stake despite Ratcliffe acquiring a 25 per cent stake that gave him control of football operations.

The clause allowing the Glazers to sell their stake in United had become active in August, 18 months after INEOS’ acquisition of the minority stake. The fine print additionally also gives the Glazer Family the authority to compel INEOS to follow suit and sell their stake as well, thus allowing a new investor to take complete control of the club.

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The Glazers have owned the 20-time English top-flight champions since 2005 and also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL).

Will United join the Gulf bandwagon? 

While it’s been a couple of months since the hidden clause got activated, discussions on the possibility of the Glazers exiting the club gained traction after Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority, suggested that United are in “advanced stage” negotiations with new investors.

“The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor. I hope he’s better than the previous owners,” Al-Sheikh wrote on X on Wednesday.

Al-Sheikh, however, clarified in another post on the micro-blogging platform that he is not the “new investor”, nor is the interested group from Saudi Arabia. Additionally, sources closed to United dismissed the rumours, according to BBC.

Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, son of the Gulf nation’s former ‘Emir’, had sought a complete takeover of the club in 2023 with a massive bid in which he had promised to wipe clean the club’s debt – which stood at $1.2 billion at the time.

It remains to be seen if Sheikh Jassim and his team are in discussions with the club once again. Manchester City, United’s cross-town rivals who have been dominating the league for the last decade, had been acquired by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008.

United have also attracted interest from the other side of the Irish Sea, with UFC legend Conor McGregor having expressed his desire to own a sports team in recent years and naming the ‘Red Devils’ and Scottish Premiership giants Celtic FC as the two clubs he has his eyes on.

United’s sharp decline responsible for return of sale talks? 

Discussions surrounding the possible sale come at a time when INEOS’ takeover has led to little improvement in terms of the club’s on-field performance. United had finished 8th in the 2023-24 season, months after Ratcliffe – a lifelong fan – joined the club – and slid further down to 15th earlier this year.

United, who had won the last of their 13 Premier League titles in 2012-13 – Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge –  have had a forgettable start to the ongoing season as well.

The side that’s currently managed by Ruben Amorim has won three and lost as many league games, drawing one along the way. They had also suffered an embarrassing second-round exit from the League Cup following a defeat on penalties against League Two club Grimsby Town.