{"id":97858,"date":"2025-10-10T04:23:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T04:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=97858"},"modified":"2025-10-10T04:23:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T04:23:00","slug":"saudi-sport-supremos-man-utd-takeover-post-prompts-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=97858","title":{"rendered":"Saudi sport supremo\u2019s Man Utd \u2018takeover\u2019 post prompts questions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Manchester United sources have rejected claims made by Saudi sports supremo Turki Alalshikh that the club is in advanced negotiations over a sale to a new investor.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Alalshikh, who has\u00a07.2m followers on X,,\u00a0external\u00a0wrote on the social media platform: \u201cThe best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor. I hope he\u2019s better than the previous owners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Multiple sources close to United said the claim was untrue.<\/p>\n

Alalshikh clarified in a\u00a0second post on X,\u00a0external\u00a0on Thursday that he was not the \u2018new investor\u2019, adding \u201cnor are they from my nation\u201d.<\/p>\n

But unanswered questions remain.<\/p>\n

The friendly plan<\/h2>\n

It has been anticipated there would be talks between United and the Saudi authorities in the coming weeks over the potential of playing at least one mid-season friendly to try to raise funds in the absence of European competition.<\/p>\n

And while it is not certain whether United want to play a Saudi Pro-League club or a similarly placed European giant, such as AC Milan, head coach Ruben Amorim said last week: \u201cWe have to do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew that when we missed Europe, we had to compensate [for] a lot of things, including our fans and the budget. So we are putting [it] all together to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Alalshikh unveiled the latest Riyadh Season schedule \u2013 which did not include any football, though it is thought a game could be added \u2013 and said the brand value of the list of sporting events has now reached $3.2bn (\u00a32.39bn).<\/p>\n

Could it happen?<\/h2>\n
Last year, Sir Jim Ratcliffe (centre) spent \u00a31.3bn for a 28.94% stake in Manchester United in a deal which saw Ineos take control of football operations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Alalshikh\u2019s second post on X suggests there is no active Saudi bid for United, it is even not clear if such a purchase of the club could get through the Premier League\u2019s Owners and Directors\u2019 test.<\/p>\n

Sheikh Jassim\u2019s attempt to buy the club never advanced far enough for the league to have to rule on it. However, as there was no competing Qatari owner, it could not have been ruled out on conflict of interest grounds.<\/p>\n

That is not the case with Saudi Arabia, whose Public Investment Fund (PIF) has run Newcastle since 2021.<\/p>\n

While the Saudi Pro-League has four clubs \u2013 Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli \u2013 that are run by PIF, it seems unlikely the Premier League would be willing to sanction multiple ownership by the same ultimate source, even if the individuals in charge of them were different.<\/p>\n

Solid relationship<\/h2>\n

In his recent interview with The Times\u2019 new podcast, The Business, Ratcliffe explained how the operation at United worked.<\/p>\n

He now owns nearly 30% of the club after\u00a0completing his part-purchase last year.\u00a0Although they have an input, the Glazer family are letting Ratcliffe make all the major decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re local, and they\u2019re the other side of the pond,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a long way away to try and manage a football club as big and as complex as Manchester United. We\u2019re here with feet on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey come to the board meetings. We sit down and we talk about things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked what would happen if the Glazers told him to sack Amorim, Ratcliffe replied: \u201cIt absolutely wouldn\u2019t happen because it\u2019s just a good working relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ratcliffe investment does include a \u2018drag-on clause\u2019 \u2013 in place from August 2025 \u2013 that means the 72-year-old would have to sell if the Glazers accepted an offer in excess of the $33 a share he paid for the club.<\/p>\n

Ratcliffe referred to the clause when he spoke at a news conference in 2024, saying: \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to be taking the legal agreements out of the bottom drawer.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the latest set of financial accounts, released last month, it states there are additional restrictions in place to February 2027, including buying another club and paying dividends between the two parties. However, one of three stated exceptions is if they are \u2018in connection with a change of control transaction\u2019.<\/p>\n

Yet Ratcliffe\u2019s words do not suggest there are issues in his relationship with the Glazer family that would be so serious as they are negotiating behind his back. Quite the reverse, in fact.<\/p>\n

It all brings us back to Alalshikh\u2019s initial post and subsequent denials. We might be waiting a long time for those answers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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