Turki Al Sheikh has set social media abuzz by claiming that a takeover of Manchester United is at an advanced stage and there is no sign that discussions are taking place.
Manchester United have been stunned by claims that a deal is at an advanced stage to bring fresh investment to the Premier League giants.
On Wednesday night, Saudi Prime Minister Turki Al Sheikh posted on social media suggesting United were close to securing new investment, leaving supporters and staff alike stunned by the ‘update’.
Posting on his X account, Al Sheikh declared: “The best news I heard today is that Manchester United are currently in the advanced stages of completing a sale agreement to a new investor. I hope he is better than the previous owner.”
Al Sheikh’s post emerged just hours after an interview with United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was published, in which he gave no indication of any plans to relinquish control of Old Trafford, the Manchester Evening News reported.
In 2023, Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe held discussions with the Reign Group, which managed the sale of significant parts of the club on behalf of the Glazer family, and both parties expressed optimism throughout the process.
read more: Man United buyout: How much the Glazers want to sell to Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s Al Sheikhread more: Billionaire Turki Al Sheikh’s bombshell message about buying Man United reveals huge wealth
Nevertheless, Mr. Ratcliffe won and secured a minority stake. Sheikh Jassim had submitted a bid of around £5.5 billion to secure full ownership of the club, but Qatar failed to show evidence of the funds during negotiations.
Sheikh Jassim’s proposal included a pledge to forgive all of United’s debts and include a separate fund dedicated to the club and community, but his credibility remained in question throughout the process.
There has been no suggestion that Sheikh Jassim will return to United in a second bid. Al Sheikh has emerged as the driving force behind Riyadh Season, a six-month program of entertainment, cultural and sporting events to be held in the Saudi capital.
The 44-year-old has played a key role in boxing, pouring millions of dollars into staging epic bouts between competing promotions and winning praise for the sport’s resurgence in recent years.
United could hold friendlies abroad in the middle of the season to boost their income, and Alarcik is thought to be currently in talks to host games in Saudi Arabia.
“We have to do it. We knew that when we missed Europe, but there are a lot of things (to consider),” coach Ruben Amorim said of the possibility of playing friendlies mid-season to generate funds.
“We have fans, we have a budget. We have to make up for a lot of things. We have to do it, so we’re going to do it. We want to be with our fans all over the world, so we’re going to put everything together for that. If we have to do it, we have to manage and we have to find space (in the schedule) to do it.”
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