In addition to streaming sports events, Apple intends to host them too. Daily Star reports that the Cupertino tech giant is interested in buying UK’s and the world’s most popular soccer club, Manchester United, nicknamed Red Devils.
Malcolm Glazer bought the club in 2005 but the owner has been very unpopular with the fans. Facing financial issues, Glazers recently announced that they were looking into strategic opportunities for the club which include the plan to sell it.
According to the report, although Apple has no experience of running a soccer club, its CEO Tim Cook is “keen” to explore the new opportunities owning one would entail.
Apple could buy UK’s most popular soccer club for more than $7 billion
It is reported that Glazers had set an asking price of £ 8.25 billion, but Apple has shown interest in sealing the deal for £ 5.8 billion or $7.8 billion. It is expected that Cook would fund the club’s new state-of-the-art stadium which the fans have been demanding for a while.
As the current owners were looking to sell the club to the highest bidder, the iPhone maker appears to be the buyer they were seeking. The $2 trillion tech company has an annual revenue of £326 billion. And if the deal materializes, it would make Manchester United the richest soccer club in the world.
In an open letter to the current owners, the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust wrote that it was for a change for the betterment of the club. It also advised the new owners to not repeat Glazers’ mistakes.
“The last 17 years has been characterised by debt and decline – on the field and off it,” Must says in its letter. “The vast majority of United fans will agree with the conclusion you appear to have also reached – it’s time for change.
“Fans will want to carefully scrutinise any new prospective owner – most of all we implore them not to repeat the mistakes you did – of alienating the fans that represent the greatest asset of Manchester United.”
Maybe the lessons learned from Ted Lasso will help the tech giant in running its own soccer club, appease the fans and regain the glory of the club. The world-class soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo left the club on November 22, 2022.
