Il Manchester United is up for sale: the sensational announcement comes a few hours after thefarewell of Cristiano Ronaldo. After 17 years the sunset falls on the era Glazer. The English club has announced that it has launched "a process to explore strategic alternatives". The text of the club statement also speaks of "evaluations" and "future growth". It was also specified that “there is no guarantee that the ongoing review will result in a transaction involving the company”. In other words: a complete sale or external investment to refurbish Old Trafford and revitalize the club internationally is not guaranteed. But surely it is an invitation to interested buyers.
This is welcome news for fans of the Red Devils, who protested regularly during the Glazers' 17 years of ownership. United were regular league winners in the 90s and 2000s, but their last title came in 2013, the farewell year of longtime manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The lack of victories on the field has created tension between the owners and the fans, which exploded on the occasion of the announcement of the Superleague, the secession attempted in vain last year by the top European clubs.
Despite years of underperformance, United remain a glory and excellence in world football. There will be many interested buyers, but the club won't be cheap.
Glazer family: who are they?
The billionaire American family began buying their first shares of Manchester United, amounting to just under 3%, in March 2003. They continued to increase their stake incrementally, before completing their takeover of the club through a Of leveraged buyouts in June 2005. Once the acquisition was completed and taking into account the exchange rate, the final valuation was approximately £790 million ($1,5 billion).
How much is Manchester United worth?
Elite Premier League clubs don't go up for sale very often, but when you consider the £2,5bn spent by Todd Boehley for the purchase of Chelsea, surely the Glazer family will ask for much more. And should the sale go through, it would come as no surprise if United become the most expensive sale in Premier League history, as it was when the Glazers bought them.
The company capitalizes around 2,5 billion on the stock exchange, to which must be added over 500 million in debt for a total value of around 3 billion. According to Forbes estimates, however, Manchester United is worth 4,6 billion dollars. Already yesterday the title, overheated by the first rumors, had closed up by 15% at almost 15 dollars on Wall Street (it is one of the few football clubs still listed on the stock exchange), today it rises by 13,23% to 16,86 dollars .
But who could shell out similar figures? Only those with the deepest pockets can apply.
Manchester United for sale: who could buy?
After the missed opportunity with the Chelsea, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of the chemical giant Ineos Group, has said he is interested in buying Manchester United. Ineos owns Nice football club in France and United would be the flagship of its sports portfolio. Whether Ratcliffe is willing to invest more than a third of his fortune in United remains to be seen.
Others US investors they could come forward for the club which has posted revenues of £260m and losses of £90m over the past year. As well as the i Saudis who already have Newcastle, Abu Dhabi has staked everything on Manchester City and Qatar has staked everything on Paris Saint-Germain. Could a buyer emerge from another oil-rich state? It's possible.
Liverpool is also up for sale
However, the club transfer market is starting to get crowded. A potential factor for interested buyers is that the Liverpool, United's big rival, is potentially up for sale. Like the Glazers, so is its American owner Fenway Sports Group is looking for new investments. And, according to persistent rumors, even theArsenal could end up on the market.
Could this affect the sale of Manchester United? On balance, Liverpool are probably one more attractive proposition: Has achieved more successes recently (including a Champions League title) and stadium modernization works are being prepared. While United's Old Trafford stadium needs major refurbishment. These potential charges are unlikely to deter most investors, but they are worth keeping in mind.
