The six Glazer siblings could retain stakes in Manchester United in a proposed phased takeover of the football club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is seeking a way through the share structure and family dynamics that have complicated the deal. The Glazer family started a strategic review more than six months ago but the process has dragged on with only two full takeover bids emerging for one of the biggest names in global sport.
The offer from
Ratcliffe and his Ineos chemicals empire is complicated because, unlike a rival
proposal from a Qatari bidder, he is not seeking to acquire 100 per cent of
United’s shares in one go, according to people close to the discussions. United
has a listing on the New York Stock Exchange but the Glazers control 95 per
cent of the voting rights thanks to a special class of B shares. The publicly
traded A shares, which are largely held by minority shareholders, have minimal
voting power.
Ratcliffe, who flew to New York for talks last month, is seeking to acquire at least enough B shares to hand him control of the club, in an offer that is not expected to be extended to common shareholders. Some people in the process and those with links to the club had expected that United co-chairs Joel and Avram Glazer wanted a deal that would allow them to keep their shares and extend their stay, with their four siblings — Bryan, Darcie, Edward and Kevin — exiting in full.
he process, which was announced in November, has been complicated by a lack of cohesion among the six siblings. The Glazers have also received several offers from investment groups to provide funds to inject into the club without a change of control.
However, it appears that the
Glazers are now focused on a structure that would allow the six siblings to
sell down their holdings in proportion to their holdings, allowing Ratcliffe to
take control. Ratcliffe and Ineos would buy the remainder of the Glazers’
shares in the coming years through derivatives contracts. The structure of Ratcliffe’s bid means that he
can part with less capital up front, obtain majority control and invest in the
club.
Share price falls
Uncertainty surrounding a deal has depressed United’s
publicly traded shares since their mid-February peak of $27. At its current
share price of $18.63, United’s equity is valued at about $3bn. One issue
around Ratcliffe’s plan to buy the B shares is that United stock exchange filings
say the class B shares are “automatically and immediately” converted into class
A shares on transfer from the Glazers “to a person or entity that is not an
affiliate of the holder”.
One possible solution was for the Glazers to vote through
changes that would allow the B shares to pass over to Ratcliffe without turning
into A shares. The Ineos group has
remained flexible on structuring to increase its chances of winning over the
Glazers, in a bid expected to value United at more than £5bn ($6.25bn),
including debt.
No deal is guaranteed and the structure could change. Despite growing frustrations among fans for
clarity on the club’s ownership, no deal is expected imminently. United’s
supporters have long protested against the Glazers for piling debt on the club
after acquiring control through a £790mn leveraged buyout in 2005. Fans also
complain that United’s Old Trafford stadium has fallen behind that of its
rivals while the Glazers have taken dividends out of the club. The American
owners’ role in the failed attempt to establish a breakaway European Super
League two years ago led to further fan fury.
The United board met
last week and received updates on the various offers in a process that is being
led by US merchant bank Raine. One person briefed on the meeting said
Ratcliffe’s appeared to be the more serious of the two bids at this stage but
that it still contained a number of issues that needed to be worked through.
Comments
Post a Comment