The Glazers open up on selling Manchester United

The Glazers’ time at Manchester United has been nothing short of chaotic. Since The Glazers took control of the club in 2005 after a £790 million takeover bid, the club has won every trophy possible.

However, their relationship with the fanbase has never improved and has gotten worse over time. There have been multiple protests against the Glazers’ ownership, with green and yellow scarves regularly seen at United games. In December 2023, Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed a £1.25 billion deal to acquire a 27.7% stake in the club, which has led to increased talk of the Glazers allowing more of their stakes to be bought.

Since then, speculation of investment from the Middle East in the club arose after Saudi government official Turki Al-Sheikh announced that United were in advanced negotiations to sell to a new investor. This led to many feeling that there might be a full takeover at United and whether the Glazers would be open to selling.

The Express has reported that Edward Glazer is one of the five siblings with controlling stakes at the club and he spoke on the decision to sell 27.7% to Ratcliffe, commenting: “I think that… We’re a family business, and it was really a decision we made collectively.”

He continued: “Not every decision is six-nothing. But, ultimately, why we have been successful as a family business is that we’ve always kind of agreed that, if the majority of family members want to do something, we realise we are in a family business and we have to do it.

“One day it might be something that I’m in favour of. The next day, it may be something I’m not in favour. It was a family decision [the minority takeover].”

Since INEOS have taken charge, the club have gone through a rocky period, however it has been a really positive past month for United and there is reason to believe that the club has overcome the worst period in their Premier League history.

There have been plenty of changes both on and off the field but it does feel a matter of time before Ratcliffe attempts to increase his stake in the club, or a separate investment group gets involved. After all, United are one of the most marketable clubs in the world and have a strong fanbase that backs their rich history of success.