After “Mask’s joke” .. A new buyer is chasing Manchester United
A spokesman for British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe told The Times
on Wednesday that the latter wanted to buy a stake in Manchester United,
after Elon Musk announced that his plans to buy the club were part of a
“long-running joke”.
Musk, the richest man in the world, said on Twitter that he wanted to buy
the most successful clubs in England, before explaining that it was a “joke”
and that he not interested in buying any sports club.
The club’s owners, the American Glazer family, are under pressure with
United occupying the bottom of the Premier League standings after
two games of the season.
Bloomberg News reported that the family would consider selling a minority stake,
which opens the door for Ratcliffe.
A spokesman for billionaire Ratcliffe added: “If the club were offered for sale,
Jim would certainly be among the potential buyers. If any of that were possible
we would interest in talking from a long-term ownership perspective.”
The Glazers have been the target of intense criticism for failing to invest in
a team that has not won a title in five years, and United’s net debt increased
by 11 percent to about 496 million pounds ($598.03 million) at the end of March.
The owners also criticized for not renovating Old Trafford, Britain’s
largest club stadium, with a capacity of 75,000 spectators.
Ratcliffe, chairman of the chemical company Ineos, is from the Manchester
area and a longtime loyal fan of the club.
His spokesman said: “It’s not about money spent or not. Jim is looking at
what can done now and how important the club is to the city.
It seems like a good time to reset things.”
Ratcliffe failed this year in his bid to buy Chelsea FC, which was eventually
bought by an investment consortium led by Todd Boley and Clearlake Capital.
United finished sixth last season in their worst season in the Premier League
in terms of points, and failed to qualify for the Champions League,
which generates huge profits.
The club hired coach Eric Ten Hag from Ajax Amsterdam in an attempt
to change his fortunes, but the newcomer has not yet succeeded in imposing
his style of play, as United lost the first two games and conceded 6 goals.
Manchester United will play its arch-rival Liverpool, who scored 9 goals
without a response in the two league matches last season, at Old Trafford,
on Monday.
A new buyer is chasing Manchester United
