Joel Glazer and Avram GlazerImage source, Getty Images
Image caption, Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One of the world's biggest football clubs, Manchester United, may be up for sale.

The family that bought the club in 2005 say they are looking at alternatives.

They are thought to be able to sell it for between $4 billion and $5 billion.

Fans have been protesting against the American family's ownership for years.

Who would like to buy the club?

Image source, Getty Images

One of the UK's richest men, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is frequently mentioned when it comes to a possible takeover of Manchester United.

A spokesman for him said in August that Jim is definitely a potential buyer if the club is sold.

Sir Jim is a fan of Manchester United, which will appeal to fans who feel that the current owners have not invested enough in the club's facilities.

He bought cast-off parts of other businesses and turned them into profitable businesses. From operations once owned by the likes of oil giant BP, Sir Jim created a company called Ineos, whose chemicals and raw materials go into nearly everything we touch.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, he is the 27th wealthiest person in the UK with a total wealth of over 6 billion dollars.

The fan's choice would be the businessman, according to the author.

He says that he had discussions with the Glazers.

The Ineos founder is less likely to pay over the odds for the club because he has not commented or signaled his intentions.

Image source, Getty Images

The Red Knights tried to buy the club in 2010.

The owner of the club needs to understand what they're taking on, and have some proper purpose and culture behind what they're trying to do, according to a United fan.

Lord O'Neill didn't rule out a bid for the club when he was asked on the Today programme if he just needed to raise money.

He said he wasn't sure if it would be that much.

He spent most of his time at Goldman as the chief economist.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, United fans have been against their current American owners for years so may not welcome another buyer from the US

The future of the game is being discussed due to the fact that US owners and companies are buying stakes in clubs in the premier league.

The US has been the source of more than two-thirds of investments in Europe's biggest leagues over the past five years.

A lot of American private equity firms want to invest in international football because if they own other American sports, they feel like they are American.

There is an unlimited market worldwide with football. He says that the owners of the league believe they can reach something that they can't reach with American sports.

Firms think they can make those clubs grow digitally and otherwise to a stratosphere that they are not currently.

Gary Neville said in the summer that rumors of a part sale to US investment fund Apollo would be unacceptable.

There have been a number of takeovers of European clubs by investors.

Manchester United's rivals Manchester City are owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, while a group led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund took over the club.

There could be other Gulf nations interested in Manchester United.

There are countries in the region that have access to funds that can be used to meet the price of the Glazers.

Such deals can cause moral and ethical problems for supporters.

In August, Musk sent the football world into a frenzy when he said he was buying Manchester United on his social media accounts.

There was a time when the thought of Mr Musk branching out from the company was thought of.

Who knows what the future holds after his back-and-forth deal for the social networking site.

We do not know if the club will be sold. New investment into the club, a sale or other transactions involving the company are some of the options being considered by the Glazers.

The fact that United's owners have hired a major investment bank to handle the situation suggests that they are testing the waters.

He doesn't know if it will result in a sale, but he thinks it's a major step.

  • Jim Ratcliffe
  • Business of Sport