The Glazer family is open to selling Manchester United, and when they do, they hope to make it the most expensive sports club ever.
The day has finally come on the day after Cristiano Ronaldo officially left, the Glazers are looking to part ways with their most prized asset.
According to ESPN, the Glazers, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL, “believe they can attract offers in excess of £6bn ($7.25bn).”
That’s pretty ambitious, given how most of the football world that speculates on these kinds of things believes MUFC is only worth about $6 billion. According to Forbes, Manchester United Football Club isn’t worth even that much. The Forbes valuation puts United at £3.8bn ($4.59bn).
And that takes into account what Todd Boehly and his group paid Roman Abramovich for Chelsea in May- £2.5 billion ($3.02bn) Another big brand sports club, the NFL’s Denver Broncos was sold earlier this year, and they fetched £3.85bn ($4.65bn).
Of course, as the old adage goes, something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Actually, anything is really worth, only what you can get a potential buyer to pay. Just think of good ol’ Adam Smith, and the invisible hand of the so-called, alleged, “free market.”
Obviously, there is no such thing as a free market, and you don’t have to dig too deep into how past Glazer family transactions were conducted to see that.
But it is possible the Glazer family can meet their asking price for Manchester United, as it is a sports brand that resides in rarified air.
It’s them, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, and maybe a couple of others that possess the same brand prestige as them.
Paul M. Banks is the Owner/Manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly contributed to WGN News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.