The Glazers have received a golden way out to receive major investment and retain control of the Manchester United football club.
The Sky News have revealed that Carlyle, the giant US-based private equity firm, is in talks to make a significant minority investment in the 20-time Premier League champions.
Founded in 1987, Carlyle is one of the world’s largest global investment firms. They hold $373 billion of assets and are believed to be “serious” in their interest to invest in Man United.
The Raine Group, the merchant bank handling the sale of the club, have set April 28 as the deadline to make the bids.
Apart from Carlyle, the American owners have received other minority investment proposals as well.
Elliott Management, Ares Management Corporation and Sixth Street are reportedly willing to make an investment in the club for a minority stake.
Two parties have publicly expressed their desire to buy the club completely. They are Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Britain’s richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Their bids are yet to match the sky-rocketing valuations the Glazers have set for a full sale.
The American owners are demanding around £6bn, which if met, will make it the biggest sports club deal in history.
The arrival of Carlyle for a minority stake won’t be great news for a large section of United supporters. They want the Glazers to exit the club, who have been in control at Old Trafford for 18 years.
The process to sell the club, partially or fully, was announced in November 2022. It’s been more than six months but nothing conclusive has been decided yet.
This uncertainty is infuriating the United faithful who want the new owners to be in place before the start of the upcoming summer transfer window.
