UAE group in exploratory talks with Manchester United on possible bid

Representatives of a United Arab Emirates based investor group were reported to have held talks with Manchester United officials in London this week as interest in buying the Premier League club resurged. The discussions, which sources described as at a preliminary level, follow a flurry of social media claims that the club could be close to a sale and come amid continued fan unrest over the Glazer family ownership.

People involved in the talks are said to be exploring the formation of a UAE consortium and have approached former United players about acting as ambassadors rather than as direct investors. Those involved say no formal bid has been submitted to the club’s majority owners, the Glazer family, and that the group remains in the process of assembling financial backing and negotiating terms internally. A separate claim that a formal takeover approach was rejected in the past 24 hours has circulated but has not been independently corroborated.

The renewed interest follows minority investment last year from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group, which purchased a 27.7 percent stake for about 1.25 billion pounds and later increased that holding to just under 29 percent. The...