The owners have held some preliminary discussions about the possibility of bringing in a new investor, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is confidential. The American Glazer family is not yet ready to cede control of Manchester United, which could be valued at about £5 billion , the people said.
Discussions are ongoing and there’s no certainty the Glazers will decide to sell a stake in the club, according to the people. A representative for Manchester United and the Glazer family declined to comment. Shares in Manchester United rose as much as 7.6% in New York on Wednesday. The stock was up 4% at 9:38 a.m, giving the company an equity market value of $2.2 billion.
Manchester United is one of the best-known and most successful clubs in world football. It has won a record 13 English Premier League titles and has consistently been able to attract the game’s biggest stars, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The club would likely attract a host of big-name investors, similar to EPL team Chelsea FC, which was recently sold to American billionaire Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital in a £4.25 billion