Sir Jim Ratcliffe acknowledged that the Glazer family was “charming” when he initially spoke with them about buying Manchester United, but he also disclosed the negotiation’s toughest challenge. Ratcliffe is a major candidate to purchase the club from the American family, who have held ownership at Old Trafford since the late patriarch Malcolm Glazer executed a contentious leverage buyout, together with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani. Although four additional Glazers—Kevin, Bryan, Darcie, and Edward—own shares and serve as non-executive directors on the board, Joel and Avram Glazer act as co-chairmen.
“We visited them, and they were charming,” Sir Jim Ratcliffe said about the Glazer family. “Despite the attention they receive, they are all quite kind, he said, mentioning the ‘hospitality’ in particular. However, since there are so many siblings, it is difficult to interact with them all.”
Ratcliffe’s ambition to offer for Manchester United, having previously failed in a late effort at a Chelsea purchase, was announced last August amid mounting fan pressure on the Glazers. But when the family wasn’t ready to sell a few months later, he seemed to admit defeat. That abruptly changed in November when a Glazer statement announced a plan to investigate “strategic alternatives,” which would have included a full acquisition. Since then, the process has dragged on. Sheikh Jassim increased his offer to £5 billion for a 100% purchase, whereas Ratcliffe’s most recent offer is merely a half takeover.
The Glazer family believes United is worth substantially more than the $6 billion (£4.7 billion) of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, but neither party is willing to boost their offer at this time. Their assessment of the club’s value is higher than that of the Dallas Cowboys, who are thought to be worth $8 billion (£6.3 billion), with the potential to go much higher. Ratcliffe made a hints that the Glazer brothers’ internal conflicts were to blame for the delay. While the other four seek a full sale and total exit that would be made possible by the Qatari offer, Joal and Avram like the most recent Ratcliffe offer.
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