Manchester United’s owners are willing to sell a stake in the club, according to reports, with billionaire businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe ready to strike.
The US-based Glazers family, who first bought a stake in the club in 2003, are considering a minority sale, according to a Bloomberg report.
News of a potential sale sent shares, which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, up over 6%.
Ratcliffe, whose company Ineos made a last-ditch attempt to buy Chelsea Football Club before Todd Boehly's consortium completed a £4.25bn deal in May, is keen to buy a stake.
A spokesperson for the petrochemicals company told media that Ratcliffe is “interested if the club is for sale”.
On reports that the Glazers are willing to sell a minority stake, the Ineos spokesman told the Times: “If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.”
Yesterday, Elon Musk jokingly tweeted he was buying the club before retracting the comment in a subsequent tweet, which trigerred a new round of rumours and reports around the club.