UAE investors eye Beckham and ex-United stars for bid

A consortium of investors based in the United Arab Emirates has approached several former Manchester United players, including David Beckham, about serving as public faces for a potential bid to buy the Glazer family’s majority shareholding in the club, according to multiple reports this week. The group is still assembling finance and has not yet submitted a formal offer, the reports said, but has contacted high-profile ex-players as part of an early strategy to build credibility and public support.

Reports say the consortium has asked Beckham to act as an ambassador for the prospective bid and has offered him the opportunity to invest. Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney have also been approached or are under consideration. Organizers of the group are understood to be seeking a mix of capital and star appeal before making any formal approach to the six Glazer siblings, who remain United’s majority owners.

No official offer has been lodged and Manchester United, the Glazer family, Beckham, Cantona and Rooney have not publicly commented on the reported contacts. The approach follows a spike in transfer speculation earlier this month after social media posts from a prominent Saudi...