Saudi Arabia’s head of sports Turki Alarusik has sparked speculation about a possible new takeover offer for Manchester United. The club’s majority owners, the Glazer family, rejected a takeover bid from Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani’s consortium and transferred 27.7 per cent of the club to Sir Jim Ratcliffe for £1.25bn. The Glazer family, which has ruled Old Trafford for 20 years, sought to invest in the club, eventually handing Mr Ratcliffe and Ineos a minority stake, while allowing Mr Ratcliffe to take control of football operations.
Their management at the club has not been particularly fruitful so far, but they are still dedicated to this business. Saudi Arabia’s current involvement in the Premier League is through their ownership of Newcastle, but they continue to pour large sums of money into their football ventures. Alarusik, who has wielded enormous influence by staging huge boxing spectacles, took to social media to declare that a bombshell acquisition was on the horizon.
He wrote: “The best news I heard today is that Manchester United are now in the advanced stages of completing a sale deal to a new investor…I hope he is better than the previous owner.”
Alarusik’s comments came unexpectedly, with no surrounding chatter about the Glazers wanting to sell their stake, and Ratcliffe never mentioned the club’s situation in a recent interview. The latter even appeared outlining his long-term ambitions for the Manchester club.
At the time, he defended his decision to make a series of cuts last season, which sparked widespread criticism, but insisted they would prove worthwhile.
He declared: “If you look at our performance last year, we had the highest revenue ever and the second highest profitability ever. Those numbers are going to get even better.”
“In my opinion, Manchester United will be the most profitable football club in the world and I hope that this will lead to a long-term, sustainable, high level of football.”
Sheikh Jassim had previously promised to cancel all of Manchester Redside’s existing debt, but his takeover plans ultimately fell through.
Rather than seeking an outright sale, the Glazers were looking for investors.
At Manchester City, ownership from the Middle East has helped them establish themselves as a dominant force in England over the past decade.
Heavy investment from Abu Dhabi management has helped fuel European domination, with Qatari-backed PSG recently clinching Champions League glory.
