Manchester United has gone through some considerable turmoil over the past year or so. Recently, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who made waves when he publicly disparaged the club and its manager, Erik ten Hag, in a fiery interview, leading to his unceremonious exit.
However, fans of the club may see the light at the end of the tunnel, with United's principal owners, the Glazer family, recently announcing their intent to seek “strategic alternatives” which could, perhaps, include the sale of the club.
But a change in ownership may not come without the steepest cost ever seen in sports history.
The Glazers, according to ESPN's sources, are only willing to relinquish ownership of Manchester United should they receive an offer around the £6 billion mark ($7.25 billion). That would make United the most expensive franchise/club in all of sports.
Malcolm Glazer, the family patriarch, completed his takeover of the historic club back in 2005 for a total of £790 million (around $1.162 million today after accounting for inflation). When Glazer passed away in 2014, the ownership of the club was divided among his six children. Those same children are now the ones who reportedly have differences in ownership strategy, leading to their decision to start the process of feeling out offers for a potential sale.
During the Glazers' reign as Manchester United owners, the club has won five Premier League titles, including three in a row from 2007 to 2009, but have failed to mount a serious title challenge ever since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Glazers' tenure as United owners has always been contentious amongst fans. Considerable debt was plunged into the club, which became a cause for concern for the most vociferous supporters. More recently, fan unrest grew to an all-time high when it was announced that United was one of the clubs who were in on the proposed breakaway European Super League.
According to Forbes, Manchester United is currently worth £3.7 billion ($4.6 billion), which would make a sale still rather expensive, if not as pricey as the Glazers hope.
Follow Us
Subscribe