It’s been almost six months since the Glazers said they would explore a sale of Manchester United, the football club owned by the Floridian family since 2005.
Two suitors have emerged so far: UK chemicals
billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim, the son of one of
Qatar’s richest men. Ratcliffe submitted his second bid — putting a value
on the club above £5bn — on Thursday evening.
But supporters are still worried that the Glazers won’t sell
up in full, and are instead planning to extend a stay that has been protested
from day one. Many are still angry at the amount of debt put on the club to
fund the original takeover, as well as fading fortunes on the pitch.
If the Glazers want to remain in charge, they will have
plenty of options. A number of US investment firms, including Elliott Management, are keeping a
watchful eye on the process in case an opportunity arises.
The Glazer siblings could opt to sell a slice of the
business, leaving some of them in control but bringing in new minority
shareholders.
They could also seek some new financing, perhaps with a view
to investing in the club’s infrastructure. Old Trafford, once the pinnacle of
English football stadiums, and the Carrington training ground both need money
spent on them. But that sort of funding won’t come cheap, and the club already
has sizeable debts.
Another option could be to copy what Real Madrid and Barcelona have done — take in
money tied to a particular revenue stream, such as commercial or media rights.
Barcelona sold off a chunk of its future TV revenue, generating more than
€500mn in cash. Real Madrid received €360mn in return for rights to stage
non-football events at its revamped stadium. In both cases, this came from Sixth Street, another US investor
keeping close tabs on the Man Utd process.
People close to one of the bidders warned this week that the
Glazers might be stringing everyone along to augment their negotiating power as
they explore other options that would leave them at the helm of one of the
world’s most famous sports teams.
On the other hand, one private investment firm speculated
that they were being used to squeeze every penny from Ratcliffe and Sheikh
Jassim. Paranoia is everywhere.
United’s New York-listed shares have roughly doubled since
the club was put on the block. But there have been a few bumps along the way,
and the current enterprise value of roughly $5bn (£4.1bn) remains some way
short of Ratcliffe’s latest offer. The market looks positioned for a deal, but
has yet to be convinced.
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