Manchester United fans could soon be facing the exciting prospect of new owners after news broke this week that the Glazer were putting the club up for sale.
The much maligned American owners have been in charge of the club since 2005 and while success followed initially, the last decade has seen the club decline in stature, with no silverware being brought back to Old Trafford since the 2017 Europa League.
The Glazers have been reported to be open to outside investment in the club for the better part of a year now. But multiple factors including the high value of the Chelsea takeover deal and the news that Fenway Sports Group are inviting offers for Liverpool FC have accelerated things.
In a statement that confirmed that United were looking for outside investment, the board said, "As part of this process, the Board will consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the Company.
"This will include an assessment of several initiatives to strengthen the club, including stadium and infrastructure redevelopment, and expansion of the club’s commercial operations on a global scale, each in the context of enhancing the long-term success of the club’s men’s, women’s and academy teams, and bringing benefits to fans and other stakeholders."
Whoever buys the club will have to fork up the cash, as the club is estimated to be worth nearly €4 billion.
As it stands, nobody is quite sure when the club will be sold or who might buy it, although Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been linked in the past. There are however a number of Irish billionaires who could afford to buy the club should the prospect tickle their fancy. Let's take a look at the possible Irish investors.
The Mistry Family
The late Pallonji Mistry was an Indian-born Irish construction tycoon whose net worth was estimated at €29bn at the time of his death in June of this year. He was the chairman of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group and also a major shareholder of India's largest private conglomerate, Tata Group.
Mistry was the richest Irish billionaire at the time of his death, and also the world's 143rd richest person. The heirs to the Mistry fortune could well afford to purchase Manchester United
Patrick and John Collison
Limerick tech brothers Patrick and John Collison found success at an early age as they sold their software company Auctomatic to become millionaires aged 19 and 17 respectively.
in 2010, Patrick co-founded the financial services company Stripe. This yielded huge success from its early days - including early investment from Elon Musk - and made billionaires of the Limerick brothers.
As of 2021, Patrick Collison's net worth is estimated at just over €11bn. If the brothers are Manchester United fans, and are interested, they could easily afford to buy the club.
Best of the rest
There are many more super-wealthy Irish who pass as billionaires but who would not be able to afford Manchester United's sizeable price tag.
Denis O'Brien
The founder and owner of Digicel was listed as Ireland's richest native-born citizen for a number of years and contributed to the salaries of the Republic of Ireland football managers for a decade.
O'Brien has already invested in football clubs in the past. He bought a small stake in Celtic in 2006, before increasing his stake to 13% by 2018.
He is now estimated to be worth €3.6billion.
John Magnier
The Coolmore Stud boss has a net worth which was recently estimated at €2.4bn, meaning he could easily invest big into United.
This may be unlikely though given the fact that Magnier formerly owned a 28.89% share in The Red Devils before selling to the Glazer's in 2005.
JP McManus
The businessman and racehorse owner is estimated to be worth around €2.29bn, but he appears committed to his more established endeavours and his investment into Limerick GAA has been well documented at this stage.
Along with Magnier, McManus owned a 28.89% share in United before selling up in 2005, so while an investment is possible, it's probably not likely.
Dermot Desmond
With a reported net worth of €2.6 billion, Desmond could certainly invest.
However, the Celtic owner probably has enough on his hands with the Glasgow club.
Conor McGregor
The UFC star is always on the lookout for shrewd investments, and he even suggested that he was interested in purchasing Manchester United last year.
He posted: "Hey guys, I'm thinking about buying Manchester United! What do you think?"
However, it was reported earlier this year that McGregor's net worth is somewhere between €160m and €230m.
McGregor however has repeatedly insisted that he is a billionaire, and although his football allegiance seems to switch between Liverpool and Man United, an investment in the Red Devils shouldn't be ruled out.
READ NEXT:
- Sligo Rovers announce stadium redevelopment plans
- Pep Guardiola signs new Manchester City contract
- David Clifford to captain Kerry in 2023
- Conor McGregor sued for millions by friend over Proper 12 Whiskey
- Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United part ways
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
