Premier League
Man United nears sale of 25% stake to Jim Ratcliffe for $33 a share
Manchester United’s (MANU.N) American owners, the Glazer family, are set to finalise a $33 per share deal with Jim Ratcliffe that will see the British billionaire acquire a 25% stake in the English soccer club, Sky News reported on Friday.
The deal, which could be confirmed later on Friday, will bring to an end a year-long sale process. The Glazer family announced last November that they were exploring “strategic alternatives” for the club, including a possible sale and were open to fresh investment.
Ratcliffe’s offer represents a premium of 79.1% to the stock’s Thursday closing price of $18.43, valuing the Old Trafford club at about $5.4 billion excluding debt.
Manchester United’s U.S.-listed shares rose 9.5% to $20.10 in early trading on Friday.
While the deal will not see the back of the Glazers, who are deeply unpopular with the fans of the 20-times English soccer champions, it will result in major changes to the way the club is run.
Ratcliffe wants to overhaul the club’s football operations. It has underperformed on the pitch since former manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 following a period of unprecedented success for the club.
Ratcliffe has promised sweeping changes. The club announced on Wednesday that Chief Executive Richard Arnold would depart after less than two years in the top job. Other executives are expected to leave after the deal is finalised, sources say.
The deal values Manchester United above Premier League soccer rival Chelsea, which was sold by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich last May for $5.2 billion — including debt and investments — to an investment group led by U.S. billionaire Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital.
Manchester United generates more revenue and has a larger fan base than its London rival.
Including debt the deal values Manchester United at between $6 billion and $6.5 billion, in line with what Reuters had previously reported.
Manchester United declined to comment.
Ratcliffe, also the chair of petrochemicals firm Ineos, is expected to take overall control of the club’s player recruitment if the deal is finalised, according to sources.
The Glazer family has faced intense criticism from fans over its handling of this key part of the club’s operations.
The family, which made its fortune in real estate, retail and healthcare and owns the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, bought the team for 790 million pounds in 2005.
The six descendants of American businessman Malcolm Glazer, who died in 2014, currently control 96% of Manchester United’s voting stock.
The deal structure that Ratcliffe has proposed would allow members of the Glazer family, as well as other shareholders, to partially cash out, one source told Reuters.
It is not clear if Ratcliffe is planning a full takeover in the future or if the Glazers would be open to an outright sale.
Ratcliffe founded Ineos in 1998 and is the chemical group’s chairman and chief executive, with a two-thirds stake. Forbes pegs Ratcliffe’s net worth at $18.7 billion.
The British billionaire is no stranger to the business of sports. Ineos owns French Ligue 1 club Nice, Swiss Super League side FC Lausanne-Sport, and works with partner club Racing Club Abidjan of Ivory Coast Ligue One. It is also behind the Grenadiers, one of the world’s most successful cycling teams.
-Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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