Man Utd duo Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Avram Glazer
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Avram Glazer attend a final at Wembley.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed an update on a potential Manchester United takeover, with the Glazer family to sell the club on one condition.
The Glazer family remain incredibly unpopular at Man Utd, and for years there has been clamour for them to sell the Premier League giants.
In 2024, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe fended off interest from Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim to purchase a minority stake in Man Utd.
INEOS supremo Ratcliffe now holds a 27% stake, but he and his recruitment team control Man Utd’s footballing operations.
The Glazer family are now even more hands-off at Man Utd, and Ratcliffe and his confidants have also faced heavy criticism over the past couple of years.
READ: Rooney aims ‘dig’ at JJ Gabriel as Kane morphs into dictator Mbappe with ludicrous ‘demand’
Ratcliffe has alienated himself by targeting fans and staff to raise funds, while Man Utd have continued to stagnate on the pitch under his watch.
He could yet become United’s majority stakeholder, but the Glazer family could alternatively sell their remaining stakes to a third party.
Earlier this week,a report from ESPN claimed that one of two conditions will spark a full Man Utd sale.
The report explained:
‘One source has told ESPN that the Glazers are waiting for the right time to cash in and sell. The failed European Super League plan in 2021 denied the Glazers an obvious opportunity to sell, but another source has said that there are two other potential sale triggers: the construction of a new stadium at Old Trafford, which would increase United’s value, and the prospect of City being kicked out of the Premier League and a powerful rival no longer competing for major honours.’
READ MORE: Ratcliffe slammed, Manchester City mocked and uncapped, underrated star backed for England
Ben Jacobs reveals update on Manchester United takeover
Now, Jacobs has shed light on potential “interest” from elsewhere about Man Utd.
“There’s still pre-existing, but not from Shiekh Jassim specifically, Middle East interest,” Jacobs said on United Stand.
“There’s been inquiries in the last 12 months from Saudi Arabia, there’s been inquiries in the last 12 months from a Bahraini and UAE group!
“The Saudi stuff is more general, some private investors are thinking about putting some money together, so I wouldn’t get too excited about that. The UAE stuff was a bit more concrete but it never materialised in a particular bid.
“So Jim Ratcliffe still maybe doesn’t know exactly what the Glazers intentions are, and the Glazers may not know yet what Jim Ratcliffe’s intentions are! Because we haven’t seen proof that they can co-exist in a clear structure to win football matches!”