Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus has urged rival Manchester United bidders Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani to join forces with him to buy the Glazer family out of Old Trafford.
Zilliacus, 69, who made his fortune in communications technology, insists he DOES have the financial power to bring an end to the Americans’ 18-year reign by himself.
But with the Glazers demanding a staggering £6 billion to even contemplate walking away from the club, the Helsinki-born businessman believes a three-pronged bid with Britain’s richest man and the Qatari banker would be an irresistible force. “I don’t see any reason why I can’t work with Sir Jim and Sheikh Jassim,” said Zilliacus. “It makes perfect sense.
“We could agree on a price the Glazers will accept and instead of one of us paying a huge sum to buy United, we split the cost into three. We then use the money we have saved to improve the club and pool our collective expertise to help rebuild the club we all love.
“Someone said to me that you don’t buy a Ferrari and then share it with two other people. But this isn’t an ego trip for me. I don’t think you can ever own an institution like Manchester United - the club belongs to the fans. I would regard myself as a custodian of the club with a responsibility to build and protect it until it is time for me to leave.”
Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim have both submitted their second bids to the Glazers - and neither is close to meeting the valuation. Zilliacus is bound by a confidentiality agreement to confirm how much he has offered.
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And unless he is given the same access to the same financial information that has been presented to his rival buyers then moving forward will be complicated.
Zilliacus’ plan involves buying the club and then giving fans the opportunity to purchase shares. Zilliacus said: “I know people think I am the outsider in this process and that I don’t have the money because my vision involves allowing fans to buy shares in the club.
“So let me put the record straight - I can raise enough money to buy Manchester United. I know a lot of investors around the world who want to join me in this.
“I have a successful business career behind me and I am wealthy enough to table a serious bid with the backing of other investors through my investment company XXI Century Capital.”
Zilliacus added: “I haven’t had the same access to financial information that has been granted to the other two bidders so that obviously puts me at a disadvantage.
“There are some details that are publicly available but when it comes to a deal like this you need to see the full picture - and that can only happen if you meet with representatives of the other party.
“That’s the only way to understand how much money it is going to cost to develop the club and then table a bid you feel is fair. I can’t make a bid based only on assumptions.
“Of course, there also has to be some clarity on whether the current owners actually want to sell. Some people who know how the family works have said to me that some of them want to sell and others are against that idea.”
