Saudi sport supremo's Man Utd 'takeover' post prompts questions

Turki Alalshikh (centre) is chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority

Manchester United sources have rejected claims made by Saudi sports supremo Turki Alalshikh that the club is in advanced negotiations over a sale to a new investor.

On Wednesday, Alalshikh, who has 7.2m followers on X, wrote on the social media platform: "The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor. I hope he's better than the previous owners."

Multiple sources close to United said the claim was untrue.

Alalshikh clarified in a second post on X on Thursday that he was not the 'new investor', adding "nor are they from my nation".

But unanswered questions remain.

The friendly plan

It has been anticipated there would be talks between United and the Saudi authorities in the coming weeks over the potential of playing at least one mid-season friendly to try to raise funds in the absence of European competition.

And while it is not certain whether United want to play a Saudi Pro-League club or a similarly placed European giant, such as AC Milan, head coach Ruben Amorim said last week: "We have to do it.

"We knew that when we missed Europe, we had to compensate [for] a lot of things, including our fans and the budget. So we are putting [it] all together to do that."

On Sunday, Alalshikh unveiled the latest Riyadh Season schedule - which did not include any football, though it is thought a game could be added - and said the brand value of the list of sporting events has now reached $3.2bn (£2.39bn).

The Saudi link to the Glazers

While there are no deals presently active, there is history between the Glazer family and Saudi Arabia.

In 2017, United agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the country's General Sports Authority (GSA).

When the contract was announced, United said the aim was to help the GSA develop its football industry, as part of its 2030 Vision, to diversify its economy, and the club would be "lending its business and sporting expertise to clubs, sporting authorities and individuals in Saudi Arabia".

In 2008, United signed a lucrative five-year sponsorship deal with Saudi Telecom, which was extended by a further five years in 2013.

These deals gave rise to speculation about a Saudi buyout of the Glazer family but United sources repeatedly played down the rumours and no deal materialised.

Could it happen?

Last year, Sir Jim Ratcliffe (centre) spent £1.3bn for a 28.94% stake in Manchester United in a deal which saw Ineos take control of football operations

While Alalshikh's second post on X suggests there is no active Saudi bid for United, it is even not clear if such a purchase of the club could get through the Premier League's Owners and Directors' test.

Sheikh Jassim's attempt to buy the club never advanced far enough for the league to have to rule on it. However, as there was no competing Qatari owner, it could not have been ruled out on conflict of interest grounds.

That is not the case with Saudi Arabia, whose Public Investment Fund (PIF) has run Newcastle since 2021.

While the Saudi Pro-League has four clubs - Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli - that are run by PIF, it seems unlikely the Premier League would be willing to sanction multiple ownership by the same ultimate source, even if the individuals in charge of them were different.

Solid relationship

In his recent interview with The Times' new podcast, The Business, Ratcliffe explained how the operation at United worked.

He now owns nearly 30% of the club after completing his part-purchase last year. Although they have an input, the Glazer family are letting Ratcliffe make all the major decisions.

"We're local, and they're the other side of the pond," he said.

"That's a long way away to try and manage a football club as big and as complex as Manchester United. We're here with feet on the ground.

"They come to the board meetings. We sit down and we talk about things."

Asked what would happen if the Glazers told him to sack Amorim, Ratcliffe replied: "It absolutely wouldn't happen because it's just a good working relationship."

The Ratcliffe investment does include a 'drag-on clause' - in place from August 2025 - that means the 72-year-old would have to sell if the Glazers accepted an offer in excess of the $33 a share he paid for the club.

Ratcliffe referred to the clause when he spoke at a news conference in 2024, saying: "I don't think we're going to be taking the legal agreements out of the bottom drawer."

In the latest set of financial accounts, released last month, it states there are additional restrictions in place to February 2027, including buying another club and paying dividends between the two parties. However, one of three stated exceptions is if they are 'in connection with a change of control transaction'.

Yet Ratcliffe's words do not suggest there are issues in his relationship with the Glazer family that would be so serious as they are negotiating behind his back. Quite the reverse, in fact.

It all brings us back to Alalshikh's initial post and subsequent denials. We might be waiting a long time for those answers.