Glazer family members debating sale of Manchester United stake after two decades of ownership

Some members of the Glazer family are actively debating whether to sell their stake in Manchester United, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, more than two decades after the US-based billionaire family first acquired the club. The news sent Manchester United’s New York-listed shares climbing seven per cent in extended trading.

According to the report, initial talks have centred on individual family members attempting to persuade others to join them in divesting part or all of their holdings. Neither Manchester United nor the Glazer family responded to requests for comment.

The deliberations come more than two years after the family sold a roughly 29 per cent stake to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos Group, handing him control of football operations. The Glazers retain a majority ownership of the club.

The family has faced sustained criticism from supporters throughout their tenure, with fans accusing them of loading the club with significant debt, overseeing excessive and poorly managed player spending, and neglecting infrastructure investment at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe’s arrival has not quieted the discontent. His cost-cutting programme — which has included job losses and ticket price increases — has drawn its own wave of fan opposition. In February, hundreds of United supporters, many wearing clown masks, marched on Old Trafford ahead of the club’s match against Fulham to protest against the ownership structure, describing the combined stewardship of the Glazers and Ratcliffe as a circus.

On the pitch, United endured another difficult season by the standards of the club’s history under Sir Alex Ferguson, though they did secure a Champions League place for the first time in two seasons, finishing third under manager Michael Carrick.