Football finance expert warns any bid from the Gulf could have complex—and controversial—links to rivals Manchester City.
A potential takeover of Manchester United by a UAE-based consortium has ignited excitement and anxiety among fans, with a leading football finance expert warning that any deal from the Gulf nation would almost certainly have links to the club’s arch-rivals, Manchester City.
The speculation was fueled by Saudi boxing promoter Turki Al-Sheikh, who set social media ablaze by claiming a deal for the club was in an “advanced stage.” He later clarified he was not the investor, nor was the group from Saudi Arabia, but was merely posting “as a fan who wishes the deal to happen.”
This has led to widespread reports of an unnamed UAE consortium exploring a bid, but the shadow of Manchester City now looms large over the prospect. Stefan Borson, a former financial adviser to City, pointed out that Sheikh Mansour—City’s owner—is a deputy prime minister of the UAE, making deep-seated connections inevitable.
“I don’t think any of it is likely, to be honest,” Borson stated, highlighting the immediate “potential issues” with associated party transactions. He questioned the secrecy and timing of a new bid, asking why a serious buyer would emerge now, two years after the Glazers’ last sale process, and at a price many consider inflated.
For a fanbase desperate to move on from the Glazer era, the dream of a fresh start is now tangled in a complex web of geopolitics and football’s fiercest modern rivalry.
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