Turki Al-Sheikh explains Man United takeover truth in new update

Turki Al-Sheikh has revealed he is not in talks with Manchester United regarding a potential takeover. On Wednesday night, the Saudi Arabian billionaire claimed that the Reds were in the 'advanced stages' of agreeing a deal with a new investor.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote: "The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor... I hope he’s better than the previous owners."

The post, which he shared with his seven million followers, went viral. It quickly eclipsed five million views, 12,000 likes, 3,500 shares and nearly 2,000 replies.

Then, on Thursday evening, Al-Sheikh clarified his statement. He said: "My yesterday’s post about Manchester United's potential sale meant one thing: the club is in an advanced negotiation phase with a new investor.

"Just to clarify, I am not the investor, nor are they from my nation. I'm posting this as a fan who wishes the deal to happen, though it might not necessarily happen."

The Manchester Evening News understands that United were surprised by the initial claim. Shortly before Al-Sheikh posted the tweet on X, an interview with Sir Jim Ratcliffe was published, in which he gave no suggestion that he was planning to relinquish control at Old Trafford.

Speaking to The Business podcast, produced by The Times and The Sunday Times, the British billionaire claimed that he remains in control of football operations at the club. When asked what would happen if the Glazers told him to sack Ruben Amorim, Ratcliffe said: "It's not going to happen."

The INEOS boss, who has owned just under 30 per cent of United since February 2024, added: "That probably sums it up. We're local and they're the other side of