Thomas Zilliacus has revealed his plan to try and invest in the club again, two years after falling short against Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover bid.
Zilliacus, a Finnish businessman, made a late approach to buy 50% of United in a unique proposal which would have seen supporters across the globe given the chance to invest in the other half of the rights to the club.
United’s current majority owners, the Glazer family, chose to do business with Ratcliffe and INEOS instead, but Zilliacus claimed to the Manchester Evening News that he is once again exploring ways to seal a significant stake in the club.
“Last week, I was sitting and thinking through all the possibilities of investing in Manchester United and drafting a basic plan on how I could approach certain parties to see if something could be done,” he explained.
"This is about joining forces with the right parties with the sole aim of bringing Manchester United back to where it should be as the number one club in the world.
“I mean, my love for the club has gone nowhere and I think the opportunity is still there. So I would really welcome an opportunity to talk to the key players and see what can be done.
“The key players, of course, today, Ratcliffe, then if other parties would be keen to join as well, then that would be great. Some of the investors, I think it's almost everything or nothing, meaning either they own the club alone or they are not interested. So you would have to find the investors who are willing to look at what is best for the club and not what is best for the investor.”
No Saudi Takeover Bid for Man Utd
Talk of another takeover battle was sparked by a social media post from Saudi government official Turki Alalshikh, who claimed United were in advanced negotiations over selling the club to a new investor.
Numerous outlets in England, including BBC Sport and the Daily Mail, revealed United’s confusion towards the claims, with several officials inside the club denying any truth to the suggestions of fresh takeover talks.
With scepticism about the claims quickly growing, Alalshikh once again took to social media to clarify his story and rule out any involvement from Saudi Arabia.
“My yesterday’s post about Manchester United’s potential sale meant one thing: the club is in an advanced negotiation phase with a new investor,” he wrote.
“Just to clarify, I am not the investor, nor are they from my nation. I’m posting this as a fan who wishes the deal to happen, though it might not necessarily happen.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Bidder Confirms Fresh Takeover Interest, Saudi Offer Truth ‘Revealed’.
