This might be the biggest edition of Manchester United transfer talk yet, at least from a monetary sense. We’re going to start this edition right at the top, with a potential change in ownership, and move on down from there. Word is the Glazers, amid backlash that is truly stronger than ever, are potentially willing to sell. That is of course depending on how much they could get for the club.
How interested the Glazers are in selling and what their price would be depends on what outlet you read, but the consensus seems to put it in the range of about 5 billion GBP or $6 billion; far above the Forbes valuation of $4.6 billion. Shares of Manchester United rose 2.3% today on news of a potential takeover.
According to Market Watch, shares of MANU, +1.68% have fallen 1.8% this year, compared with the S&P 500 index’s SPX, +0.23% decline of 10.4%. So if the Glazer family were to sell, who is the suitor? Well, despite the media and social media narratives, it’s not Elon Musk.
Nor would United fans want it to be.
So one potential buyer would be Jim Ratcliffe, a British billionaire who made an unsuccessful bid to buy Chelsea. A spokesperson for Ratcliffe told The Times: “If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer. If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.”
Is Ratcliffe the potential savior? Stay tuned!
United fans are also watching closely the never ending saga of superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo. He might actually end up remaining with the club after the summer transfer window closes on Sept. 1, although there have been reports that Sporting Lisbon are willing to take him on a free, if needs be.
That’s where we are right now- the G.O.A.T. is so unwanted, and such a hindrance to his current team that moving on a free seems like a good resolution for all involved.,
Sky Sports says that he could be allowed to leave if manager Erik ten Hag believes it is better for the team. Meanwhile The Daily Telegraph, reports that CR7 has been told that he can leave if he can find a new club. With Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain all making to clear that they are not interested, plus his high standards for wages and UCL football, how many teams are left?
The list of potential destinations is very short, and time is running out.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.