Man Utd owners the Glazers ‘show interest’ in £300m cricket team to expand portfolio

Man Utd 3 – 2 Atalanta: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer post-match press conference

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Manchester United’s owners are reportedly weighing up a mammoth bid to take over an IPL cricket team in an upcoming Dubai auction. The Glazer family have been broadly unpopular at Old Trafford, and it remains to be seen how such an acquisition would impact the Red Devils in the long term.

Matters on the field of play have been rocky for United in recent weeks.

A 4-2 defeat at the hands of Leicester City last weekend prompted serious questions about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future.

However, the Norwegian bounced back in predictably dramatic fashion as United overturned a 2-0 deficit to topple Atalanta on Wednesday.

Behind the scenes, Sportsmail claim that the Glazers have already purchased an ‘invitation to tender’ document which does not guarantee a bid, but does put them in the mix of 18 interested parties.

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It is certainly a statement of intent given that the ITT document reportedly costs £10,000 on its own.

The IPL, cricket’s most successful Twenty20 competition, is expanding from eight teams to ten next year.

Franchises are currently valued at over £300million, so it would be a significant addition to the Glazers’ sports portfolio which already includes NFL side Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Closed bids are set to be submitted at a Dubai auction with a conclusive announcement expected on Tuesday.

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One impact for United would likely be a greater commercial presence in India, even though they already enjoy a significant global following.

Despite spending big in recent transfer windows, the Glazers have represented been largely unpopular at Old Trafford due to complaints about how they purchased the club.

The European Super League fiasco only diminished the trust further as United’s owners were among a core breakaway group, sparking mass protests back in April.

A SkyBet survey conducted earlier this year concluded that over 90% of United fans are against their current owners, which put them only behind Newcastle and Arsenal at the time.

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In a high-profile change of hands, the Magpies now find themselves with new owners who have lofty ambitions for the club.

United fans would surely love to follow suit, although a Glazers exit does not appear to be on the horizon.

That is, unless a prospective buyer is willing to fork out the colossal £4billion asking price.

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