Ever since the Glazers signalled their willingness to sell Manchester United, a number of parties have emerged as potential bidders. A wealthy individual? A consortium? A multinational company? An oil state? These are the parties to have been linked with buying the Red Devils…
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The Ineos owner, Britain’s richest man, has previously stated his desire to buy United but backed off when the Glazers insisted they weren’t selling. Now they are, United fan Ratcliffe remains interested, having apparently turned his nose up at the opportunity to buy Liverpool. The Independent, though, says the 70-year-old is seeking to do a deal for under £5billion, when the Glazers want at least £6billion. Ratcliffe already owns Ligue 1 side Nice but there are doubts over whether the Mancunian can afford to buy the club on his own since The Sunday Times valued his wealth at just £6.075billion.
Apple
The Daily Star reckons tech giants Apple are interested in buying United for £5.8million. Apparently, CEO Tim Cook is ‘keen to explore the opportunities owning United could provide’. United would become the richest club in the world with Apple’s net worth estimated at around £2trillion, though sales at their Liverpool store might take a hit. The windows too…
Amancio Ortega
Forbes ranks Ortega, the chief of the Inditex group that owns Zara, as the 19th-richest person in the world. The 86-year-old Spaniard is apparently worth £61.3billion and the Manchester Evening News says he has informed senior executives of his interest in buying the club. Ortega has no sporting investments in his portfolio, with real estate said to be the primary source of his wealth.
Red Knights
A consortium led by former Goldman Sachs boss and United fan, Lord Jim Neill, tried to tempt the Glazers into selling the club for £1.25billion 12 years ago but were ultimately unsuccessful. The Manchester Evening News has spoken to O’Neill, who said he would be interested in getting the band back together. But not unless the Glazers reduce their current demands. When asked about a possible price of £5billion, O Neill said: “I don’t think that’s realistic, especially as the few smart people that might be vaguely capable of putting those kinds of sums together can see the same information the Glazers can see.”
Manchester United share price opens strongly in NY trading. Club’s market capitalisation has increased by $636 million in less than 24 hours #MUFC
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…