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Topics: David Beckham, Manchester United, Premier League, Football
Ryan Smart
Topics: David Beckham, Manchester United, Premier League, Football
David Beckham has made his feelings clear on potentially returning to Manchester United in an ambassador role if the club changes ownership.
The Daily Mail reported on Thursday that a consortium from the United Arab Emirates was interested in launching a takeover bid for the 13-time Premier League champions.
It was claimed in the same report that the club's current owners, the Glazer family, would demand in excess of £5 billion to complete a full sale.
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The UAE interest was reported on following claims from Saudi sports chief Turki Alalshikh that United takeover talks were 'in an advanced stage with a new investor'.
Alalshikh later clarified that the talks did not involve himself, nor anyone else from Saudi Arabia.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a minority 27.7 per cent share in United from the Glazer family in December 2023, which has since been increased to 28.9 per cent.
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Part of the ownership agreement included a 'drag-along' clause, which would allow the Glazers to force Ratcliffe to sell all of his around 50 million shareholding from August 2025 onwards if they offered him £26 per share.
Ratcliffe fended off attempts from Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim to buy United after the Glazers began to explore strategic alternatives in 2022.
Jassim wanted a full takeover of the club, with ESPN reporting that he planned to install United legends in 'prominent roles' if he was able to reach an agreement with the Glazers.
The UAE consortium appear to have similar plans, with the Daily Mail noting that the group would approach former United players to serve as ambassadors of the club if they themselves were successful with a takeover.
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Gary Neville was part of a taskforce which drew up plans to build a new 100,000-seater stadium for United earlier this year, while Darren Fletcher is the head coach of the under-18 side.
One ex-United player who has never been tempted back to Old Trafford in any official role is Beckham, who is co-owner of Salford City and MLS franchise Inter Miami.
Beckham served as a football ambassador for Qatar at the 2022 World Cup after signing a deal worth £125 million.
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He was asked by The Athletic in 2023 - amidst Sheikh Jassim's pursuit of United - whether he would be tempted to return to his former club if approached.
"I have a lot going on here [in Miami] at the moment, and my focus has purely been on Miami and everything that goes on in my business," he said.
"But I haven't been approached, and I suppose any involvement with Manchester United would mean the world to me, going forward. But who knows?
"We'll see what happens in the next few weeks or months. Hopefully, a decision gets made, and if I'm involved in any way... if not, I'll be a United fan and just do what all the other fans are doing - turn up and watch our team."