Manchester United legend David Beckham has already expressed his view that the Glazers must depart Old Trafford, having been connected with a stunning comeback to the club as part of a consortium from the United Arab Emirates. The Mirror reported on Sunday that the 50-year-old Inter Miami co-owner has been contacted by an undisclosed consortium to serve as an ambassador for a potential £5billion acquisition.
The group is poised to present Beckham, who boasts a net worth of £300million, with an opportunity to return to his former club after criticising the Glazer ownership in recent years. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Ineos, secured a minority shareholding of 27.7 per cent stake in February 2024, which has expanded to nearly 29 per cent.
Ratcliffe has supervised the football operations since assuming control midway through last season; nevertheless, on-pitch performances have not improved. Ruben Amorim's squad concluded 15th in the Premier League last season, their most disappointing ever finish in the competition, and suffered defeat in the Europa League final.
When previously questioned by The Athletic about whether it was time for the Glazers to leave the club, before Ratcliffe's minority acquisition, Beckham responded: "I think so. I think it's purely because the fans want it. Once you lose the fans, especially at a club like Manchester United, it's hard to get them back.
"Obviously, [the Glazers] have achieved a lot, and financially, the fact that we're even talking about the numbers of what Manchester United will sell for shows the success they've had. But there needs to be change. We've all seen that, we all know that."
The ex-United star didn't dismiss the possibility of a future role at the club, which would certainly raise eyebrows if he were to lead the UAE takeover. "I have a lot going on here at the moment and my focus has purely been on Miami and everything that goes on in my business," he continued. "But I haven't been approached and I suppose any involvement with Manchester United would mean the world to me, going forward.
"But who knows? We'll see what happens in the next few weeks or months. Hopefully, a decision gets made and if I'm involved in any way... If not, I'll be a United fan and just do what all the other fans are doing - turn up and watch our team."
Beckham also emphasised the need for investment in the club, the right leadership, and improvements to the stadium, before the plans for a new Old Trafford were revealed. He stated: "Whoever is running your club, you want them to be passionate, be involved, make the right decisions, bring in the right players and invest in the club.
"Because the club does need investment, whether it's the training facility, stadium, on the field, these kinds of big things need to be made and changes do need to happen, especially when you see the likes of Man City and what they're doing."
The current majority owners of United would only entertain offers exceeding £5billion for their stake. This figure is more than double the club's current stock market value.