Manchester United – Finnish businessman wants to buy Red Devils

According to his own statement, the Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus has got into poker for the English record champions Manchester United, which is up for sale – and is relying on a curious model.

He will pay half of the purchase price, for the second half the fans of the club should collect together. The followers should then be included in certain decisions.

“No more sheikhs and oligarchs in central roles in football,” wrote the entrepreneur on Twitter on Thursday. “The current market value of the club is just under $3.9 billion (3.58 billion euros, ed.)”, quoted the BBC as saying Zilliacus, who calculated: “That means if every single fan of the club would do their part, the total per fan would be less than $6.”

The deadline for the second round of Manchester United betting was originally Wednesday evening (10pm CET) but has now been extended. The American family, who completed their takeover of the 20-time England champions in 2005, announced in November that they were open to a sale. However, the Glazers are said to be asking for 5.6 billion euros, significantly more than the amount that Zilliacus used in his extrapolation.

“Every sports club should ultimately belong to its fans. My offer is based on equality with them,” said the Finn. The fans should have a say via the app, their money would be collected through a company that was yet to be founded.

So far, a consortium from Qatar led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and the company Ineos of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe have fought a duel to take over the club. The two have already made offers. If the sale actually went through with the sum demanded by the Glazers, it would be the most expensive deal in sports history.