By Jeremy Cross

Copyright dailystar

The Glazers are open to offers exceeding £5billion for their stake in Manchester United.

That price is more than double the club’s current stock market value. Rumours are rife that Saudi billionaire Turki Al-Sheikh is eyeing a takeover bid for the Red Devils.

However, to have any real chance of convincing the Glazers to part with their shares, the chairman of Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority would need to start the bidding at around £5.2bn. The Florida-based businessmen took over United two decades ago in a deal worth £790million.

Despite the club’s current valuation standing at £2bn, the Glazers would demand a hefty premium reflecting potential future increases in United’s value. This could factor in the potential worth of the club if plans to construct a new state-of-the-art stadium come to fruition.

One option for the Glazers could be to sell a portion of their 48.9% stake in United in exchange for substantial investment from Saudi sources to help fund the new stadium. In March, United bosses unveiled plans for a 100,000-seater stadium costing around £2 billion, which they claim would revitalise the surrounding area and rank among the world’s best.

However, it’s understood United are far from securing the necessary finance for this ambitious project. The Glazers previously turned down a takeover bid from Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani’s Qatari consortium in 2024, opting instead to sell 27.7% of the club to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS empire.

Ratcliffe paid £1.25 billion and was given control of football operations.

United revealed record revenues of nearly £670m in June, but have been compelled to make significant staff redundancies and are in dire need of a cash boost.

United have declined to comment on a potential deal with the Saudis, while Ratcliffe maintains his full commitment to the club.

The Glazers continue to engage with United on a daily basis. However, there’s nothing preventing them from negotiating a sale of their stake in the club, unbeknownst to other shareholders.

Turki, who is heavily involved in boxing, snooker, golf and UFC, took to social media to assert that United were at an ‘advanced stage’ of finalising a deal to sell to a new investor.