Multiple unnamed members of the Glazer family, which boasts a controlling share of Manchester United, are considering selling a proportion of their stake in the Premier League giant, a report has claimed.
The Glazers have served as United’s hotly controversial owners since the family’s late figurehead Malcolm engineered a leveraged buyout of the club in 2005. Their reign began with a flood of trophies during the final years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary managerial tenure, but the distant figures have come under increased scrutiny since the Scot’s retirement in 2013.
United are yet to even be involved in a Premier League title race over the past 13 years, let alone win a trophy they have lifted more than any other team. In November 2022, the same day Cristiano Ronaldo left Old Trafford for a second time, the Glazers released a rare statement revealing that they would be open to “new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the company.”
More than a year later, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe was confirmed as a new minority stakeholder who would have control of sporting operations. Success has still proven hard to come by during INEOS’s co-ownership, with the club’s worst-ever Premier League finish in 2024–25 compounded by the redundancy of 450 non-playing staff members.
Michael Carrick inspired an uptick in form during the freshly concluded campaign—which ended with a third-place finish, the club’s highest in three years—to earn the title of permanent manager. It appears as though there could be some more personnel change in the positions of power above the dugout.
‘Debate’ Over Future of Glazer Ownership at Man Utd
At a time of rare optimism in United’s post-Ferguson existence, Bloomberg reported that certain members of the Glazer family were “debating” offloading some, or all, of their shares in the club. The report stressed that this was not a universal decision—in fact, some members of the family are thought to be in dialogue with other sections to decipher the next course of action.
Avram and Joel Glazer are the two most prominent members of the family, sporadically appearing at matches as executive co-chairs when they are ready to suffer the slings and arrows aimed at them from the crowd. However, there are four other siblings with shares in the company which entitles them to a vote on major decisions.
Between them, Avram, Joel, Darcie, Bryan, Kevin and Edward Glazer control 67.9% of voting rights, per Manchester United. Ratcliffe’s INEOS holds 28.9% of voting rights.
These deliberations have coincided with the club’s proposed move to a new 100,000-capacity stadium, which will come at enormous expense and is being driven publicly by Ratcliffe.
How Much Would Man Utd Cost?
As Bloomberg outline, the club’s shares trade at around $21 on the New York Stock Exchange, which translates to a market valuation of $3.6 billion. However, that is considerably less than any prospective buyer would have to cough up as it doesn’t take into consideration the added value of controlling club decisions. If you want to run the show, you have to be prepared to spend more than the punters who just buy a ticket.
The Glazers gave an insight into their valuation of the club during the protracted sale process in 2023 by rejecting an offer for a complete purchase thought to exceed $6.7 billion.
Ratcliffe acquired his 27.7% stake in United in February 2024 for $1.6 billion.
Given the club have once again returned to the Champions League and the influence of inflation, there’s every reason to think that the Glazers would only increase the club’s price tag. For context, the most expensive purchase of a sports team ever was the $10 billion deal to buy the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025. Second on that list is the acquisition of the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion.
Who Could Buy Glazer Stakes in Man Utd?
When the Glazers put Manchester United on the open market in 2022, the list of bidders was endless. Most never had the funds to inspire any actual interest, but there are plenty of well-resourced investment vehicles—be that private equity companies, oligarchs or rich individuals—who would consider snagging a stake in one of the world’s biggest soccer clubs.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani was the mysterious figurehead of a group which pushed Ratcliffe closest in the final round of negotiations back in 2023. The son of the former emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, ultimately failed with his attempts at a complete buyout and the Daily Mail claim there is no appetite for a return to discussions.
There is the prospect of Ratcliffe expanding his investment, but there has been no suggestion he would (or could) act on the supposed position of the Glazers right now. The petrochemical magnate saw his estimated net wealth drop by around $2.5 billion across the last 12 months after a difficult year for his company INEOS, per The Sunday Times.
