It has been a few months since Manchester United fans heard the news they'd been dreaming of for years after it was confirmed that the Glazers are set to sell their share in the Reds, but now the wheels may be beginning to turn on a potential deal.
Protests have now become a regular occurrence for United fans with the American owners failing to properly invest in the playing squad, alongside infrastructure such as Old Trafford diminishing during their time as majority shareholders in the club. No Premier League title in nearly a decade, over five years since a trophy and only three major titles since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson; it has been a period of misery for United fans.
A statement from the club last year announced that the Glazers were looking to head down a 'different strategic route'; which would invoke the sale of the club as a result. But who has been linked with taking over the hot seat from the controversial owners? Here, MEN Sport has taken a look at those who have linked.
READ MORE: Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirms interest in buying Manchester United
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
On Tuesday, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos became the first party to formally register their interest in buying United after years of being linked with the purchase of the club.
His attempts to purchase Chelsea from Roman Abramovich last year raised eyebrows, but his £4bn bid was ultimately unsuccessful and eventually the Blues announced Todd Boehly as their new owner.
Ratcliffe, who has an estimated net worth of nearly £11bn, could stump up the majority of the money that the Glazers would be looking for in the £5bn ballpark, and reports he will be making a bid for the club. Previous reports have stated that his bid could be part of a consortium, with the likes of Sir Lewis Hamilton being linked with joining.
As a boyhood United fan from Failsworth, this would be the fairytale ending to a long nine months for the Ineos owner.
Apple
Who would have seen this coming? According to the Daily Star, United were being eyed up by Apple in a £5.8bn deal.
By far the biggest technology company in the world, and having seismically altered the landscape of the modern world in general with their technological advancements, it would be interesting to see just how Apple would run a football club.
Having had no experience of buying a football club, never mind a team the size of Manchester United, there are question marks over the logistics; though the report states that a new stadium would be built.
But with a revenue of £400bn per year and a value of £1 TRILLION, funding is not a worry.
Lord Jim O'Neill
O'Neill was involved in a deal which could have seen him take ownership of the Red Devils back in 2010 as he formed part of a consortium group named 'The Red Knights', though their £1.25bn bid wasn't enough to tempt the Glazer Family to part ways with the club.
Fast forward 12 years and O'Neill's name has cropped up once again after he exclusively told the Manchester Evening News that he would be interested in purchasing the club - but the Glazers would need to drop their asking price first. Having been given a 'Lord' title for his involvement with the Conservative Party since, an increased profile for the former Goldman Sachs chief could see fans select him over other interested parties.
It is unclear exactly how much financial backing The Red Knights would have to complete a purchase of the club, however O'Neill would seriously have to up the financial aspect of the deal he proposed back in 2010 by around four times over at the very least - but never say never for the Mancunian.
Amancio Ortega
Zara founder Amancio Ortega, who is the 19th-richest person in the world, was reported to be interested in purchasing United, although other reports since have denied this.
The 86-year-old, worth £50.3billion, is the owner of the Inditex empire that operates eight retail chains and generated revenue of €27.7bn in the year to January 31 2022.
The Spaniard does not currently have any financial interests in sports teams, meaning it is unclear exactly how he may run Manchester United.
David Beckham
Another fairlytale return to Old Trafford could be in store for Beckham. Having left the Red Devils in 2003 for the bright lights of Real Madrid, Beckham could now be set for a triumphant return to the club where he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a Champions League.
According to the Financial Times, Becks is 'open to talks' about becoming involved with other consortiums hoping to purchase United. With a net worth of around £370million, the former United midfielder would certainly need to team up with some fellow investors to complete a purchase.
Already having ties in ownership in Greater Manchester due to his co-ownership of Salford City alongside others in the Class of 92, it remains to be seen if Beckham would have to veto his stake in the Ammies in order to avoid a conflict of interest.
Though with his already impressive spell at Inter Miami - the club he founded in the MLS - showing clear progression, if Beckham could stump up the funds to take United over and drag them back to the top, he would etch his name even further into folklore at Old Trafford.
Dubai Sovereign Wealth Fund
Incredibly similar to the deals that have seen Newcastle and 'noisy neighbours' Manchester City become cash-laden, United would not be short of cash should they opt for a deal with officials from the United Arab Emirates.
According to a report from Arabian Business, the Dubai Sovereign Wealth Fund are "likely to be among the interested buyers" and with a net worth of around £250billion - the news has certainly got United fans excited. Such a deal with fellow Emirati's has seen City become a top force domestically and in Europe, and United could follow in their footsteps with a potential deal that would oust the Glazers from the hot seat - albeit much to the amusement of City fans, who have been branded with the 'oil money' tag for the best part of 15 years.
Of course, there would be issues ethically over laws involving homosexuality and human rights violations in the UAE; with the Red Devils fans likely to take news of any potential takeover in a poor light.
US Private Equity Firm
Reports emerged in August that a New York-based firm were to hold talks about indulging in a minority stake.
Effectively, that is an extremely similar model to the current one in place by the Glazers; therefore, not much change would be had.
It would remain to be seen if this was successful, though it is highly doubtful that United fans would warm to such a takeover.
The Financial Times reports that private equity pair Josh Harris and David Blitzer (estimated to be around £2.5bn), and another group led by basketball moguls Stephen Pagliuca (net worth of around £3bn) and Larry Tanenbaum (£1.25bn) may be interested in purchasing the club.
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