Manchester United Up For Sale? Saudi's Turki Al-Sheikh's BOMBSHELL Stirs Speculation

Saudi sports chief Turki Al-Sheikh has hinted that Manchester United could soon be sold to a new investor, sparking fresh takeover speculation as the club eyes a £10m Riyadh Season tour to ease financial strain after missing out on Europe.

A New Chapter for Manchester United?

The storm clouds over Old Trafford may be stirring once again. Saudi Arabia’s sports supremo Turki Al-Sheikh — a man with deep pockets, powerful connections, and an unrelenting ambition to make Riyadh the world’s next sporting capital — has dropped a bombshell on social media, hinting at a potential new takeover bid for Manchester United.

Al-Sheikh, the influential head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), took to X (formerly Twitter) late on Wednesday night with a post that instantly set football circles abuzz.

What Al-Sheikh Said

“The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor – I hope he’s better than the previous owners,” Al-Sheikh wrote.

Within hours, the cryptic comment had been viewed nearly one million times, fuelling wild speculation about what he knows — and whether this signals Saudi interest in taking the Red Devils off the Glazers’ hands.

The Glazers, Ratcliffe and a Club in Limbo

United’s ownership saga has long been a soap opera of global proportions. The Glazer family, who have held majority control since 2005, rejected a full buyout offer from Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani’s Qatari consortium last year, instead selling 27.7 per cent of the club to British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe for £1.25 billion.

While Ratcliffe’s minority stake gave him significant control over football operations, it left fans divided — some saw him as a saviour, others as a continuation of Glazer rule by proxy.

Now, with Al-Sheikh’s comments, questions swirl once again: is there an actual buyer at the table, or was this a carefully timed tease from one of Saudi Arabia’s most influential powerbrokers?

As of Thursday morning, Manchester United and the Glazer family had made no official comment on Al-Sheikh’s claim.

Money Talks: United Eyes £10 Million Saudi Windfall

Even as takeover rumours ripple through the football world, United’s management is working on something more immediate — plugging the financial black hole left by missing out on Champions League football.

Their Europa League final defeat to Tottenham in Bilbao cost them dearly, wiping out nearly £100 million in potential earnings and triggering a £10 million penalty repayment to Adidas under the club’s £900 million kit deal.

Desperate to balance the books, United have turned to mid-season friendlies and exhibition tours. According to a DailyMail report quoting sources, a Saudi Arabia trip during Riyadh Season — the Kingdom’s glitzy, multi-billion-dollar entertainment extravaganza — could bring in £10 million or more.

Riyadh Season: The Golden Ticket

Riyadh Season, which kicks off on Friday and runs until March, is already a magnet for A-list global acts and elite sporting events. The GEA has reportedly left a slot open for a “high-profile football event”, and United are firmly in contention.

Among the possibilities under discussion:

• Riyadh Season Cup: A two-game mini-tournament featuring Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, where United could earn around £5 million per game — plus prize money and sponsorship deals.
• Saudi All-Star Exhibition Match: A one-off glamour tie, similar to PSG’s 2023 encounter in Riyadh, worth £5 million.
• Warm-Weather Training Camp: A shorter visit tied to a private match against Al-Nassr, also valued around £5 million, with all travel and accommodation covered by the hosts.

For context, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United earned just £1 million from a 2008 friendly in Saudi Arabia — featuring Ronaldo — to mark Sami Al-Jaber’s testimonial.

Times have clearly changed.

Old Trafford’s Empty Calendar

For the first time in 35 years, Manchester United face a season without European football. Their early Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby Town only worsened the situation, leaving them with vast stretches of free midweeks — and a pressing need to stay active and visible.

Between their penalty shootout defeat in Cleethorpes and their next midweek clash against West Ham in December, there’s a yawning three-month gap. Filling that space with a Saudi tour isn’t just a financial decision — it’s a lifeline.

Sportswashing or Strategic Rebuild?

If the trip — and possible takeover chatter — materialise, critics will inevitably cry “sportswashing.” Yet for United’s hierarchy, this may be about survival and reinvention.

Saudi Arabia’s deepening footprint in global sport is undeniable — from boxing and Formula 1 to golf and football — and the Kingdom’s ambition to host marquee clubs like Manchester United aligns perfectly with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 blueprint.

Whether this marks the start of a Saudi-led push for Old Trafford or just another business opportunity, one thing is certain: Manchester United’s next chapter may well be written under the Riyadh lights.