It’s officially deadline day for Manchester United’s prospective bidders and with multiple parties looking to take over the massive sporting franchise, it’s going to be an interesting few days ahead.
With current owners, the Glazer Family, valuing the club between at least £6-8 billion and now said to be looking for a full sale of the business as opposed to selling partial shares or welcoming new investors, it’ll simply be case a who puts forward the biggest offer.
The deadline for United‘s bidders is 10pm tonight. Here are the candidates said to be seriously considering a takeover.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Whoever is leading the race to take over the club is anyone’s guess but it’s fairly common knowledge that one of United’s longest-running suitors is British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman and co-owner of INEOS — the chemical company who also owns French club OGC Nice.
Ratcliffe is a lifelong Red born in Failsworth who as well as being one of the richest men in Britain also already happens to own a sporting brand in Team Sky cycling, which he bought back in 2019, not mention owning shares in Mercedes F1. If anything, he is clearly a sporting man, at the very least.
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The 70-year-old has enlisted a number of banks including Goldman Sachs to help fund his bid and while many were wary his need for additional financing resembled the leveraged buyout that saw the Glazers take control back in 2005, he is said to have assured he will not load United with any more debt.
Qatar
Ratcliffe’s biggest rival is undoubtedly the Qatari consortium that is said to be heavily interested in buying Manchester United. Given the level of wealth behind those involved, significantly dwarfing the majority of other financial players, their package is widely considered the strongest of United’s bidders.
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Although the amount of money clearly won’t be an issue (try a sovereign wealth fund of £368bn), its source and connection to the state looks to be the biggest sticking point.
It has been stated that Qatar Sports Investments, a.k.a. PSG’s billionaire owners, are not involved in the bid but the financing will have to be fully vetted. Regardless, UEFA are being urged to block the move to prevent further ‘sportswashing’ and the Emir of Qatar gaining unprecedented levels of power in football.
Saudi Arabia
Despite having only recently acquired Newcastle United through the Public Investment Fund (the same sovereign wealth model Qatar are hoping to deploy), it has been reported that a rival bid from elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf could also challenge Qatar’s offer.
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The nation were confirmed to have entered the race by The Telegraph early on Friday, literally hours before the deadline, having previously been rumoured to be in the market for Chelsea before Todd Boehly’s buyout too.
Saudi Arabia obviously share the same oil-based money origins as their Middle-Eastern neighbours and the national government has already said it would back bids from their private sector, but it would still present an odd prospect to see them invest in a direct rival so early into their Newcastle project.
The US — maybe even Elon Musk?
Perhaps the most uncertain prospects are located in the US, with various groups said to have expressed interest in trying to buy the club, though little detail is still known even at this advanced stage.
However, one very wealthy individual (i.e. the richest man in the world) is rumoured to be considering a bid in some capacity: Elon Musk. Yep.
Last but not least, the possibility of investment from China has not been ruled out from the list of Man United’s bidders.
Like the Qatari royals, Chinese investors are rumoured to be putting up an estimated £5bn bid according to The Times, with the possibility of state money also present in this instance.
Once again, though, little is known about the potential investors and whether or not they are part of a large consortium but they cannot be ruled out, especially with China’s massive United fan base.
Once again, the deadline is 10pm this evening (Friday, 17 February) but the full sale will obviously be a much lengthier process, so don’t expect the cogs to start turning right away.
United fans, who would you prefer to have in charge of the club?
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We know many people’s answer is simply ‘anyone but the Glazers’ but, you know, humour us.
Featured Image — Wikimedia Commons/Jason Wong (via Lookout Point)
Sport
Wigan unites in paying tribute to ‘much-loved’ local sports fan, Darren Orme, after body is found
Danny Jones
Wigan teams and the rest of the community have been paying tribute to local fan Darren Orme, whose body was sadly found earlier this week.
The passionate Wigan Athletic and Warriors supporter was a regular at both The Brick Community Stadium and the Latics’ former home, Spingfield Park. He was tragically found dead on Monday, 24 March, after being declared missing nearly three weeks ago.
As a “much-loved” personality among the regular footy and rugby crowds, his loss has hit both fan bases and the town as a whole hard, with countless locals sharing their condolences over the past few days.
Paying their respects to “a popular supporter” known to “thousands” for his “tireless efforts following the Latics“, the club shared a lengthy tribute to Orme on Tuesday.
The 54-year-old was last seen around 9pm on 5 March around the junction between Woodhouse Lane, Scot Lane and Beech Hill. Large-scale searches had been carried out by the local authorities and groups of volunteers following his disappearance.
His body was eventually located the body along a stretch of the River Douglas near Stadium Way just down from The Brick and Robin Park Arena.
Greater Manchester Police have since said they believe there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.
The Official Wigan Athletic Supporters Group – which Orme was a member of for the best part of four decades – said they have been left “devastated” by his passing, adding: “Darren was Wigan Athletic through and through, and he lived and breathed blue and white.
“We know that Darren will always be cheering Latics on in spirit.”
As for Wigan Warriors, who recognised him as an equally beloved character up in the stands, the team joined their footballing counterparts in paying a heartfelt tribute, with hundreds of fans laying flowers and wreaths outside the ground.
🌹 This morning, Wigan Warriors players and staff laid a wreath outside The Brick Community Stadium in memory of Darren Orme.
Writing as part of a joint statement on the club website, the rugby league side said: “We join in sending our sincerest condolences to Darren’s friends and family, and we ask supporters to respect their privacy during this extremely difficult time.
“As a Football Club, Wigan Athletic will pay tribute to Darren with a minute’s applause at the home fixture against Barnsley on Saturday, 29 March (3pm kick-off) whilst a minute’s applause will be held at Wigan Warriors’ game against Salford on Sunday.
“We would like to thank the Wigan community, including supporters of both Clubs, for coming together over the last few weeks in search of Darren. We encourage supporters to pay their respects and share their memories of Darren.
“Flowers, shirts, and scarfs can be laid at The Brick Community Stadium alongside Dave Whelan’s statue, while a Book of Condolences will be located in the Stadium Reception for fans to sign.”
Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, his fellow supporters and all those whose lives Darren Orme touched – rest in peace.
Featured Image — Greater Manchester Police/Wigan Warriors
Sport
Two Greater Manchester-based Paralympians pick up MBEs following Paris 2024 heroics
Danny Jones
A pair of Paralympians born just down the road and honed two discipline-leading national performance centres here in Manchester have officially been awarded MBEs.
The Northerners doing the country proud – sounds about right.
First off, if the name Poppy Maskill doesn’t ring a bell, the promising Paralympic was Team GB’s best-performing para-athlete at Paris 2024 this past summer, contributing a total of five medals towards the nation’s joint-third-highest tally.
After her heroics at the Games, the teenager who turns 20 this weekend (Saturday, 29 March) was the recipient of an early and very prestigious birthday present, becoming one of the youngest individuals to be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in history.
She was named on the New Year’s Honours list back in December but finally collected her latest medal in person this week following a ceremony at Windsor Castle, being honoured by King Charles III personally.
Hailing from Middlewich just less than an hour away from our city centre, Maskill might be a Cheshire girl by birth, but this young sporting gem is being polished right here at the state-of-the-art Manchester Aquatics Centre (MAC).
The youngster became the first Paralympian to pick up gold back in August after not only winning the 100m butterfly but smashing the world record in the process, too.
Competing in the S14 class – a category for athletes with intellectual impairments – she finished the heat with in just 1:03, surpassing the previous best by more than half a minute. But her impressive performance didn’t stop there.
MAC regular Maskill went on to win two more golds in the S14 100m backstroke and 4 x100m S14 freestyle relay, as well as a pair of silver medals in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley S14. Just incredible.
Poppy Maskill wasn’t the only Greater Manchester-based para-athlete who was recognised this month, though, as Stockport‘s very own two-time Paralympic champion Sophie Unwin was also presented with the accolade for her services to sport.
Named a member of the Order along with her co-pilot Jenny Holl, Unwin’s Paris 2024 medal haul included a double of golds in the women’s B 3000m individual pursuit and the road race tandem B, not to mention a silver in the road time trial and a bronze in the 1000m time trial at Paris 2024.
Following in the footsteps of fellow MBE and Stopfordian cycling legend, Dame Sarah Storey, who won her 19th gold medal to become Britain’s greatest Paralympian of all time – having made the most of MAC and the National Cycling Centre over in East Manchester during her career – the borough did us proud.
30-year-old Unwin has kicked on just as strong in the new year as well, notching a narrow victory to set an unofficial (unfortunately) world record of 4:36.737 in the women’s tandem at the 2025 Lloyds National Track Championships here in Manchester.
Danny Jones -
17th February 2023 
