Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

redout wrote: »

Didnt UEFA not do away with that a few seasons ago in european competitions and your lot had to get some sort of special dispensation because Everton came 4th ?

timetogetfit wrote: »

What about ye being ye this season?

Mitch Connor wrote: »

no, winner of the EL gets to defend it, unless they qualify for the CL.

THE Red Knights consortium is putting the finishing touches to a £1.25 billion bid for Manchester United that could lead to a formal offer next month.

Last week the group met to sign off on the structure of the bid, which will draw on funds from wealthy individuals and rank-and-file fans. This week it will present the idea to a group of about 50 private investors.

“This is a big week for the consortium,” said one City source. “Lots of people have been enthusiastic, but this is time for commitment.”

If the first fundraising is successful — the Knights have a rough target of raising £500m from a group of 50 investors — there will be a share issue to fans to raise about £250m. If there is excess demand, the size of the issue will be increased and the amount allotted to wealthy investors reduced.

The Knights are led by Jim O’Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs. The group includes Mark Rawlinson, a partner at Freshfields, the law firm, and Paul Marshall, co-founder of Marshall Wace, the hedge fund. The structure of the offer was thrashed out at a meeting at the London offices of Nomura, the Japanese bank that is advising the bid team.

They are attempting to displace the Glazer family, which bought United in 2005 in a deal that valued the club at £810m. The Glazers, who are based in Florida, have since angered fans who accuse them of taking fees from the business and starving it of funds to improve the playing squad.

The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, which is trying to oust the Glazers, has joined forces with the Knights. Since the takeover plan emerged, membership of the trust has ballooned to more than 150,000.

As well as raising £750m, the Knights intend to keep in place a £509m bond raised by the Glazers at the start of the year, giving the club a total value of just over £1.25 billion.

Sources close to the Knights say that if both the fundraisings are successful, they plan to make a formal approach to the Glazers in the time between the end of the domestic football season early next month and the start of the World Cup in June.

However, the plan is likely to continue to receive short shrift from the club’s owner. The Glazer family has been unimpressed by the Red Knights’ plans and made no secret of its intention to retain control.

City sources said, though, that Rothschild, the investment bank, was undertaking discreet soundings on their behalf, but had not been officially retained to advise on any bid.

The Knights are undeterred by the Glazers’ stance. They believe that once they present the family with a firm offer their resistance may soften.

The consortium also believes the club’s recent exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich, together with falling match-day ticket receipts, has decreased the value of United and further weakened the Glazers’ hold over the club.

Park Ji Sung wrote: »

The usefulness of the ignore list is overridden when the post is quoted in the following 2 posts.:(

Headshot wrote: »

came across this

baz2009 wrote: »

I'd highly doubt they'll put us in 700mill debt.
Kinda talk should be in the finance thread, but that hasn't really taken off.