Manchester United is insisting that the club is not for sale and that there have been no secret talks with the Qatari royal family. That does not, however, rule out the possibility of talks involving intermediaries.
Manchester United is insisting that the club is not for sale and that there have been no secret talks with the Qatari royal family. That does not, however, rule out the possibility of talks involving intermediaries.
Chief executive David Gill accepts the $2bn or £1.25bn valuation put on the club by Forbes magazine. He commented, ‘Well Forbes reckon we are the most valuable sporting franchisein the world … and they compare that with other football clubs, but also the likes of the Dallas Cowboys’. The word ‘franchise’ does not go down well with many fans who see it as a symbol of what is wrong with the game.
Given the valuation, the rumoured Qatari offer of £1.5bn would seem to be a fair one. But Gill’s view, which undoubtedly reflects that of the Glazers, is that football is only going to get bigger, and that, as a consequence, Manchester United will get bigger. In other words, the Glazers just need to wait and they will get an even bigger profit through capital appreciation.