RIYADH: Saudi Arabia joined the race to buy Manchester United on Friday ahead of the deadline.
According to a British report, the American Glazer family, which bought the 20-time English champions in 2005, announced in November that they were ready to sell or invest in the club. British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos company officially joined the race to buy the club last month. This was the first open bid but Qatar is also interested in buying the club. According to The Guardian, Qatari ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is interested in buying United.
The Glazers have indicated that they are open to both a minority investment and a full takeover, but the latter now appears to be their preferred option. Glazer made a £790 million ($961 million) leveraged takeover in 2005 but has left the club heavily in debt, angering fans. The Glazers are asking six billion pounds ($7.18 billion) for the three-time European champions, which would break the record sale for a football club set by Chelsea last year. Chelsea were sold for £2.5 billion in cash and a further £1.75 billion in investment.