Saudi sports promoter Turki Al-Sheikh, who has helped bring major boxing events to the Middle East, has sensationally announced that Manchester United are up for sale again and finalizing a deal that would see the club passed to new owners. The Red Devils were involved in a lengthy takeover saga throughout 2023, which ended when Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group acquired a 25% stake in the club and took control of the footballing operations at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe and INEOS took shares after this long takeover saga.
Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani participated in this process before withdrawing from discussions when it became clear that an agreement would be impossible to reach with the Glazer family. Ratcliffe then said: “ In fact, no one has ever seen him (Sheikh Jassim). The Glazers have never met him… he doesn't… I'm not sure he exists! »
Joe Ravitch, who participated in the discussions as a co-founder and partner of Raine Group, the company that served as mediator, told the Times: “We met Jassim. He was in New York. He is a charming and very intelligent man. The Qataris were very sincere. They were very intelligent and very caring. I don't know why they didn't appreciate the value (of the club), but we were not their advisors. As a seller, we tried to explain that value to them, and they presented what they thought were a very serious series of offers.”
Sale of Manchester United: Turki Al-Sheikh speaks
A major player could be back at the negotiating table. Al-Sheikh said in a cryptic social media post: “ The best news I heard today is that Manchester United are now in the advanced stages of finalizing the sale to a new investor. I hope it will be better than the previous owners. » The comments are seen as an attack on Ratcliffe and the Glazers, the merits of which remain unclear with no sales noise coming from Old Trafford.
When it comes to Middle East finances, United are currently focused on hosting potentially lucrative friendlies. The team has holes in its schedule to fill and a £100 million ($134 million) shortfall to make up, having missed out on qualifying for European competitions. They were also knocked out of the 2025-26 Carabao Cup by League Two side Grimsby.
