The deadline for the third and final bids to take over Premier League club Manchester United is 9 PM GMT on Friday evening (April 28). United’s American owners, the Glazer family, launched a formal sale process late last year and have received several bids, including from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus.
The 20-time English football champions won the domestic League Cup in February for their first trophy since winning the Europa League in 2017 – their longest wait for silverware since 1983. The Red Devils currently sit fourth in the Premier League and have reached the final of the FA Cup. The Glazer family are seeking around 6 billion pounds ($7.3 billion) having bought the club for 790 million pounds ($968.30 million) in 2005 as part of a highly leveraged deal. There are thought to be multiple other interested parties.
The current League Cup holders have enjoyed a stellar season this term and will look to add another trophy to their cabinet. United’s fortunes have revived since Erik ten Hag took over the club in July 2022, with them reaching the finals of both cup competitions while also making it to the quarterfinal of the Europa League, where they lost to eventual winners Sevilla.
If the club does go for sale in the summer, it will likely attract a big sum of cash while the fan base of the club all over the world would help the new owners gain significant returns. It is worth noting that, United still have a big fan base thanks to their rich heritage that saw them dominate for decades.
On the flip side, there are also reports that United’s current owners could yet retain the club if there are bids that don’t match their expectations. If this is the case, there could be a big lash out from some corners of the fan base with growing instability at the upper level of the club.
The Red Devils will be next in action on Thursday, April 27 when they take on Tottenham Hotspur with the fixture still having bearings on next season’s Champions League qualification. A win for United will all but end Spurs’ remote chances of finishing in the top four while a win for the home side could be an added boost at the end of the season.
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