A prominent Saudi sports chief, Turki Al-Sheikh, has suggested that Manchester United is nearing a complete sale, claiming the club is at an “advanced stage” of finalizing a deal with a new investor.
Al-Sheikh, who heads the General Entertainment Authority responsible for attracting major sports events to Saudi Arabia, posted a message on X on Wednesday night suggesting a potential takeover bid for the Old Trafford side. His claims surface just 20 months after British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7% stake in the club.
The news comes amid reports that United is in talks with Saudi Arabia about potential mid-season friendlies, with the club reportedly eyeing earnings of around £5 million per game to boost revenues, especially after the team failed to qualify for European competitions last season. Al-Sheikh is reported to be involved in these friendly negotiations.
In his post on X, Al-Sheikh wrote:
“The 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’s better than the previous owners.”
The Glazer family, United’s majority owners, previously rejected a takeover bid from Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani’s Qatari consortium before selling a stake to Ratcliffe for £1.25 billion last year. Ratcliffe later increased his ownership share to 28.94%.
Ratcliffe’s company, INEOS, which controls football operations, sacked former manager Erik ten Hag last November and appointed Ruben Amorim. However, Amorim’s tenure has seen disappointing results, including United’s worst-ever Premier League finish (15th) in his first season and a defeat in the Europa League final, leaving the club without European football for the first time since the 2014/15 campaign.
This season, United currently sit 10th in the Premier League after seven games and have already been eliminated from the EFL Cup by Grimsby Town. Amorim is yet to achieve back-to-back league victories as the team prepares to face champions Liverpool away after the international break.
