Man Utd talks held with Saudi & Qatari investors amid reports of possible £6 billion takeover

• Glazer family open to offers
• Discussions held in Doha
• Change on the cards at Old Trafford

WHAT'S HAPPENING? The Glazer family has announced that they will “explore strategic alternatives” at Old Trafford, having come in for plenty of criticism during their tenure, with “new investment into the club, a sale or other transactions” being considered. The Raine Group has been appointed to act as United’s exclusive financial advisor and there have been suggestions that a deal of between £6-7 billion ($7-8bn) would be enough to see a takeover of Premier League giants pushed through.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The Athletic reports that discussions have taken place between Avram Glazer and potentially interested parties during his 2022 World Cup visit to Doha – although the American does have other business interests in the region and there has been no official comment on whether statements of intent have been made.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Glazer recently said when asked about the takeover talk raging around United: “It’s not necessarily a sale, it’s a process and we’re going forward with the process, so we’ll see what happens. That’s the update, it’s the process and the process is proceeding.”

STORY IN THREE PHOTOS:

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DID YOU KNOW? Saudi Arabia sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal has expressed a desire for investors from his region to explore the possibility of acquiring United, telling Sky Sports in November: “I hope so, if there are investors and the numbers add up, and it makes a good business. Then the private sector could come in, or companies could come in, from the kingdom. The Premier League is the best league in the world. Everyone’s watching the Premier League. It’s the most watched league and there are diehard fans of these teams in the kingdom. So it would be a benefit for everyone.”

WHAT NEXT? The Glazers have faced opposition from United supporters throughout their time at the helm, with many fans hoping to see change in the boardroom implemented during a 2022-23 campaign that has Erik ten Hag trying to bring a six-year wait for major silverware to a close.