DUBAI: British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is interested in buying Manchester United, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters after Elon Musk said his plan to buy the Premier League club was all part of “a long-running joke.”
Musk, the world’s richest person, said on Tuesday night on Twitter that he wanted to buy England’s most successful club before clarifying that it was a joke and that he had no interest in purchasing any sports teams.
The club’s owners, the American Glazer family, are under pressure with United sitting bottom of the Premier League after two games of the season. Bloomberg reported they would consider selling a minority stake, opening the door for Ratcliffe.
A source close to Ratcliffe said the billionaire was a potential buyer as he wants to help rebuild the team. The Times first reported Ratcliffe’s interest on Wednesday.
It is unclear if the interest would result in any deals. The Glazer family is not ready to concede the controlling stake in Manchester United and has an expectation of valuing the club at more than double its current market cap of $2.2 billion, another source said.
In May 2022, Chelsea Football Club was sold to a consortium led by an investment group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital for $3.2 billion (2.5 billion pounds).
The Glazers have been the target of intense criticism for their failure to invest in the team who have not won a trophy in five years. United’s net debt had grown 11 percent to about 496 million pounds ($598 million) by the end of March.
The owners have also been criticized for not improving the Old Trafford stadium, the biggest club ground in the country with a capacity of around 75,000 fans.
Ratcliffe, head of chemical company INEOS, is from the Manchester area and a long-standing United fan.
Ratcliffe failed this year in an attempt to buy London club Chelsea which was ultimately bought by an investment group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
United finished sixth last season in their worst Premier League campaign with respect to points earned, failing to qualify for the lucrative European Champions League.
They won the last of their record 20 top-flight league titles in 2013, the year Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager after more than 26 years in charge.
The club hired manager Erik ten Hag from Ajax Amsterdam in a bid to turn around their fortunes but the Dutchman has not yet succeeded in imposing his playing style, with United losing their opening two games after conceding six goals.
United play their arch-rivals Liverpool, who scored nine times without reply in their two league meetings last season, at Old Trafford on Monday.
Shares of Manchester United jumped 6.96 percent on Wednesday.
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Billionaire Ratcliffe interested in buying Manchester United — source
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Billionaire Ratcliffe interested in buying Manchester United — source
- The club's owners, the American Glazer family, are under pressure with United sitting bottom of the Premier League after two games of the season
- Bloomberg reported they would consider selling a minority stake, opening the door for Ratcliffe
Relief for hosts Morocco as they start Cup of Nations with win
- “An opening match is always difficult, but we did the job. It was important to win our first match, in front of our fans, to get off to a good start in the competition
RABAT: Morocco eventually got the party underway but relief was the overriding emotion on Sunday as they overcame tiny Comoros 2-0 in the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Rain dampened the atmosphere and a nervy start, including a wasted penalty opportunity, reflected the intense pressure on the home team, who are the runaway favorites but looking for their first Cup of Nations success in 50 years.
It was only in the second half of the Group A game that they were able to break through with goals from Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi, though the scoreline might have been more flattering as the minnows tired in the closing stages.
“It’s never easy to get into the competition,” said Morocco coach Walid Regruagui, who guided the side to the semifinals of the last World Cup in Qatar.
“An opening match is always difficult, but we did the job. It was important to win our first match, in front of our fans, to get off to a good start in the competition.
“We’d been preparing for this match for a year and a half and put a lot of pressure on ourselves.
“The game got off to a bad start, with that missed penalty and Romain Saiss being substituted.”
The Morocco captain, who had spent the first half of the year sidelined by ankle surgery, went off injured after 18 minutes in a flood of tears after an innocuous push.
There was no immediate news on the extent of the injury.
“At halftime, I wasn’t very happy with the team, and made some adjustments, which the boys implemented very quickly,” added Regragui.
The first goal came 10 minutes after the break from Real Madrid’s Diaz, who was named man of the match.
“We needed to create a lot of chances because, of course, they played with 11 players behind the ball, so it was a difficult game,” said Diaz.
“We need to keep improving and we need to create chances to score the goals.”
Morocco can expect a tougher task against Mali in their next game on Friday.
Rain dampened the atmosphere and a nervy start, including a wasted penalty opportunity, reflected the intense pressure on the home team, who are the runaway favorites but looking for their first Cup of Nations success in 50 years.
It was only in the second half of the Group A game that they were able to break through with goals from Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi, though the scoreline might have been more flattering as the minnows tired in the closing stages.
“It’s never easy to get into the competition,” said Morocco coach Walid Regruagui, who guided the side to the semifinals of the last World Cup in Qatar.
“An opening match is always difficult, but we did the job. It was important to win our first match, in front of our fans, to get off to a good start in the competition.
“We’d been preparing for this match for a year and a half and put a lot of pressure on ourselves.
“The game got off to a bad start, with that missed penalty and Romain Saiss being substituted.”
The Morocco captain, who had spent the first half of the year sidelined by ankle surgery, went off injured after 18 minutes in a flood of tears after an innocuous push.
There was no immediate news on the extent of the injury.
“At halftime, I wasn’t very happy with the team, and made some adjustments, which the boys implemented very quickly,” added Regragui.
The first goal came 10 minutes after the break from Real Madrid’s Diaz, who was named man of the match.
“We needed to create a lot of chances because, of course, they played with 11 players behind the ball, so it was a difficult game,” said Diaz.
“We need to keep improving and we need to create chances to score the goals.”
Morocco can expect a tougher task against Mali in their next game on Friday.
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