UAE consortium ask Eric Cantona to front Manchester United takeover bid | OneFootball

A consortium of investors in the United Arab Emirates has approached Eric Cantona to act as an ambassador for a potential bid to buy Manchester United, according to the Guardian.

The prospective Man United buyers also want former Red Devils stars Wayne Rooney and David Beckham on board as part of the process to complete a takeover of the Old Trafford club.

The UAE‑based group want prominent former Man United players as ambassadors to help front their takeover bid.

However, the consortium is still being put together as finances to firm up their takeover interest are sought.

Man United are owned by the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with the six Glazer siblings the majority owners of the club. The British billionaire owns slightly over a quarter (28.94%) of the total shares.

The Red Devils have been the subject of takeover rumours since the Glazers first served notice that part or all of the club was potentially for sale in November 2022.

They ended up pricing both Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani out of a deal to buy the whole of Man United due to their valuation of the club.

However, the British businessman parted with £1.3 billion for 27.7 per cent of Man United in February 2024 and has remained in charge of the footballing operations.

A drag-along right included in the contract at the time became active on August 13, which means that Ratcliffe cannot stop the Glazers if they want to sell the club.

It was agreed that the clause would become active 18 months after Ratcliffe became the minority owner.

It also states that the majority Man United owners could not only sell their stake, but could also force the petrochemicals billionaire to sell his.