admin David Beckham has hinted he is ready to get involved in a possible takeover of Manchester United after pushing the Glazers into selling it.
United’s extended sale of , is now in its ninth month and is unlikely to be completed before the start of the new Premier League season.
Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has made several offers to the club with his fifth and latest offer being worth around £5bn and a further £1bn investment promised.
It competes with British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who only wants a majority stake of over 50%, unlike Sheik Jassim, who wants to buy 100% of the club.
Raine, the US banking group handling the sale on behalf of the Glazers, has not yet confirmed whether the offer has been accepted or named a preferred bidder.
The delay has led to speculation that the Glazers are considering other options, including selling a minority stake in the club to investment groups, while retaining overall control.
Former USA and England midfielder Beckham, who now co-owns MLS club Inter Miami, believes it’s time to sell the Glazers.
“It wasn’t the best time for Manchester United, both on and off the pitch,” Beckham told The Athletic. “Watching Erik [ten Hag] come in is a breath of fresh air.
He had to make some difficult decisions, but he did it in the most elegant way that has the fans on his side. “Off the pitch, as a fan and ex-player, I just want theissue resolved.The decision [ofownership]mustbe.
“Whoever runs your club, you want them to be passionate, committed,making the right decisions, hiring the right players and investing in the club.”
Because the club needs investment, beita training ground,a stadium, apitch…big things like that have to be done and changes have to happen, especially when you see the likes of Manchester City and the work they do.“It’s not just about what they earn. You can see Man City not only working on the future from season to season.
Theyhave stability with Pep [Guardiola, their coach since 2016 whose contract expiresin 2025], for whom I have full admiration.
“We were the top of the tree, we were winning everything, the ones who were successful, the ones where the players wanted to come. Luckily, we still have that Manchester United pull that existed when I went there. We want that back and the sooner a decision can be made, the better.”
When asked if he believe the Glazers should now sell, Beckham added: “I think so.
“I think it’s purely because the fans want it. Once you lose the fans, especially at a club like Manchester United, it’s hard to get them back. Obviously, they (the Glazers) have achieved a lot, and financially, the fact we’re even talking about the numbers of what Manchester United will sell for shows the success they’ve had. But there needs to be change. We’ve all seen that, we all know that.”
Beckham went on to suggest that he could be willing take up a new role at United or potentially even invest in the club, but said his immediate focus is on Inter Miami.
“I have a lot going on here at the moment and my focus has purely been on Miami and everything that goes on in my business,” he added.
“But I haven’t been approached and I suppose any involvement with Manchester United would mean the world to me, going forward. But who knows?
“We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks or months. Hopefully, a decision gets made and if I’m involved in any way… if not, I’ll be a United fan and just do what all the other fans are doing – turn up and watch our team.”
