Man Utd owners look to sell all or part of club

Manchester United's owners the Glazer family say they are considering selling the club as they "explore strategic alternatives".

The Americans bought the Old Trafford outfit for £790m ($1.34bn) in 2005.

"As we seek to continue building on the club's history of success, the board has authorised a thorough evaluation of strategic alternatives," said executive co-chairmen and directors Avram Glazer and Joel Glazer.

"We will evaluate all options to ensure that we best serve our fans and that Manchester United maximizes the significant growth opportunities available to the club today and in the future.

The Glazer family have owned NFL side Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 1995 and Avram Glazer bought a team in the new United Arab Emirates Twenty20 cricket league in 2021.

Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer later apologised for the unrest caused.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Manchester United with immediate effect on Tuesday, criticised the club ownership in a controversial interview last week saying the Glazer family, "don't care about the club" on the sporting side.

The move to sell United comes amid Liverpool chairman Tom Werner saying Fenway Sports Group were "exploring a sale" of the Anfield club.

A Bloomberg reportexternal-link in August 2022 said that the Glazer family were willing to sell a minority stake in the club.

British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he would be interested in buying the club before he stated in October that the Glazer family had told him they did not want to sell.

There has never been any real dispute that the Glazers see Manchester United as a financial investment.

The Glazers have not been popular owners since the day they bought United in 2005.