Man Utd takeover talk put back in the spotlight as Turki Al-Sheikh impact clear

Turki Al-Sheikh has sparked Manchester United takeover talk back into life. The Saudi Arabian billionaire set tongues wagging earlier this week with a mysterious social media post.

On Wednesday night, Al-Sheikh claimed that the Reds were in the 'advanced stages' of agreeing a deal with a new investor. Given that Sir Jim Ratcliffe only recently acquired a minority stake, many speculated that the Glazer family could be discussing terms for their shares.

On X, previously known as Twitter, the Saudi government official wrote: "The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor... I hope he's better than the previous owners."

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Al-Sheikh, who was the owner of Almeria from 2019 until earlier this year when they failed to secure promotion to the Spanish top-flight, shared the post with his seven million followers. His cryptic message spread like wildfire, racking up five million views, 12,000 likes, 3,500 shares, and nearly 2,000 replies.

According to the Manchester Evening News, United officials were taken aback by Al-Sheikh's post, as Ratcliffe had shown no signs of wanting to relinquish his stake. Then, on Thursday evening, Al-Sheikh ruled himself out of said negotiations.

The Saudi sports chief insisted he had shared the post as 'a fan who wishes the deal to happen'. He wrote: "My yesterday's post about Manchester United's potential sale meant one thing: the club is in an advanced negotiation phase with a new investor.

"Just to clarify, I am not the investor, nor are they from my nation. I'm posting this as a fan who wishes the deal to happen, though it might not necessarily happen."

Predictably, Al-Sheikh's follow-up post also generated a staggering amount of engagement, racking up a million views at the time of writing. Within mere hours, the tweet had chalked up 900,000 views, 7,000 likes, 1,000 shares and nearly 500 replies.

While the Saudi Arabian businessman may not be holding discussions with the United hierarchy over a possible takeover at Old Trafford, the influence he wields on social media is undeniable and will have certainly reached Ratcliffe's radar. Speaking on The Business podcast, produced by The Times and The Sunday Times, Ratcliffe insisted that he retains authority over football operations at the club.

When questioned about what would happen if the Glazers instructed him to dismiss Ruben Amorim, Ratcliffe replied: "It's not going to happen."

The INEOS boss, who has owned just under 30 per cent of United since February 2024, continued: "That probably sums it up. We're local and they're the other side of the pond.

"That's a long way away to try and manage a football club as big and complex as Manchester United. We're here with feet on the ground. They [the Glazers] get a bad rep... but they are really nice people and they are really passionate about the club."

Ratcliffe also hinted that he'll be at the helm of football operations for a while longer. The 72-year-old outlined his long-term vision, adding: "Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years."

When questioned if the United manager will be given three years, Ratcliffe said: "Yes. That is where I would be. Three years. Because football is not overnight. It's three years.

"You also look at [Mikel] Arteta at Arsenal. He had a miserable time over the first couple of years. We have to be patient. We have a long-term plan. It isn't a light switch.

"You can't run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week."

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