Expert Reveals Man Utd's £3bn Problem That Could Scupper Takeover

The Glazer family could encounter an immediate problem if they open the doors to a full sale of Manchester United, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

The Daily Mail reported on Thursday that a consortium based in the United Arab Emirates was considering a bid to take over United.

The club are currently majority owned by the Glazer family, with British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe holding a 28.9 per cent minority share.

It is claimed that the UAE consortium would approach a number of United legends to serve as ambassadors if a takeover could be completed.

As part of the deal between the Glazers and Ratcliffe, a 'drag-along' clause came into effect in August that allows the Glazers to force Ratcliffe to sell all of his shareholding - which stands at around 50 million shares - if they offer him a set price of £26 per share.

The 72-year-old is currently in charge of footballing operations at United alongside INEOS.

But according to Maguire, a sticking point in any negotiations will be the reported £5 billion valuation that the Glazers have placed on the club.

Maguire told SPORTbible: "Manchester United are a premium brand, a complete buyout would be at least £5bn but then a significant spend would be required on and off the pitch.

"Current stock market value is about £3bn which is 15 per cent lower than at the end of June, despite all the rumours circulating [around] the club, which suggests the market is skeptical about whether a full blown bid is likely."

The highest-valued sale of a professional football club is the $5.4 billion which BlueCo spent to acquire Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

Perhaps pertinently to the Glazers, the top four biggest sports team sales worldwide all took place in the United States - where the family is based.

NBA franchise Los Angeles Lakers were sold for $10 billion to American businessman Mark Walter in June 2025.

The reason for the significantly higher general valuation of NBA sides compared to Premier League clubs is the respective TV rights deals, with the NBA securing an 11-year agreement worth a staggering $76 billion in July 2024.

For comparison, the Premier League's latest domestic TV rights deal, signed in 2023, was worth £6.5 billion over four years.