Saudi Sports Leader Proposes New Takeover Bid for Manchester United
Saudi sports supremo Turki Al-Sheikh has sparked interest by suggesting a potential new takeover bid for Manchester United. Al-Sheikh, who is reportedly in discussions with the club about a friendly game during Riyadh Season, made a notable post on X, indicating that Manchester United might be open to selling to a new investor.
The Glazer family, who currently own the majority of the club, previously turned down a takeover offer from Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani’s Qatari consortium when they sold 25% of the club to Sir Jim Ratcliffe for £1.25 billion last year. However, Al-Sheikh, who leads the General Entertainment Authority responsible for bringing major sporting events to Saudi Arabia, shared a message that suggested the club is in an advanced stage of completing a deal with a new investor.
It remains unclear whether Al-Sheikh’s claims have any real foundation or if he was criticizing the Glazers or Ratcliffe. Nonetheless, his post quickly gained significant attention, receiving nearly one million views within hours.
Financial Opportunities for Manchester United in Saudi Arabia
Manchester United could potentially earn up to £10 million if they agree to a visit to Saudi Arabia this season, according to industry sources. The club is exploring ways to fill gaps in their calendar and address financial shortfalls by arranging mid-season friendlies, with Saudi being one of the options under consideration.
A defeat to Tottenham in last season’s Europa League final in Bilbao cost United £100 million, including a £10 million repayment to Adidas due to a £900 million shirt sponsorship. The club earned £8 million from a post-season trip to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong in May, and could generate even more from a visit to Saudi during Riyadh Season, which starts on Friday and runs until March.
The General Entertainment Authority released an initial schedule on Monday, and there is a gap for a high-profile football event. One of the three options available to United would be to participate in the Riyadh Season Cup, a three-way tournament against the capital’s two biggest clubs, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, which featured Inter Miami in February.
Potential Revenue from Friendly Matches
If United participates in the Riyadh Season Cup, they could earn around £5 million per game, with the two-game tournament guaranteeing £10 million plus additional prize money if they win. There would also be revenue from commercial opportunities during an extended stay in Saudi.
Another option is a shorter visit to play an exhibition game against a Saudi All-Star team, similar to the one involving Paris Saint-Germain in January 2023, which would be worth closer to £5 million.
United could also arrange a visit with the Saudi royal family or GEA to hold a warm-weather training camp in Riyadh and play a one-off game—most likely against Ronaldo and Al-Nassr—which would again earn the club around £5 million.
This is significantly more than the £1 million United earned in January 2008 when Sir Alex Ferguson took a side featuring Ronaldo to Saudi to play Al-Hilal in a testimonial for Sami Al-Jaber, losing 3-2.
Financial Gaps and Calendar Challenges
Any of the options available to United are likely to involve the oil-rich state covering the costs of travel, accommodation, and warm-weather training facilities. Being without any European football for only the second time in 35 years has left United with plenty of space in the calendar—a problem not helped by going out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle to Grimsby Town.
There is more than three months between the defeat on penalties in Cleethorpes and the next midweek game against West Ham in early December.
