Saudi sports chief Turki Al-Sheikh has set tongues wagging with an explosive social media post suggesting Manchester United might be on the verge of securing new investment.
The influential Saudi official, who heads the General Entertainment Authority, took to X on Wednesday evening with a message that's got football fans buzzing.
His post claimed the Red Devils are at an "advanced stage" of sealing a deal with a fresh investor.
"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," Al-Sheikh wrote.
By Thursday morning, his cryptic comment had racked up close to a million views, sparking intense speculation about what he knows, who the new investment could be from or the significance of the financial commitment from said party.
United's current ownership structure saw the Glazer family sell just over a quarter of the club to Sir Jim Ratcliffe for £1.25billion in February of last year, after turning down a full takeover from a Qatari consortium led by Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani.
Ratcliffe later pumped in an extra £79million, taking his stake to nearly 29 per cent, with his company INEOS running the football side of things at Old Trafford.
Al-Sheikh's post has left people also wondering whether he's having a dig at the Glazers or Ratcliffe - or if there's genuine substance behind his claims.
Neither United nor the Glazer family have commented on the Saudi official's remarks, leaving fans to speculate about what might be brewing behind the scenes.
The timing of Al-Sheikh's comments is particularly interesting, as United are reportedly in discussions about potentially lucrative friendlies in Saudi Arabia during Riyadh Season.
The club are looking at ways to boost their finances after missing out on around £100million from failing to qualify for the Champions League.
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Their Europa League final defeat to Tottenham proved costly, triggering a £10million penalty payment to Adidas as part of their £900million sponsorship agreement.
Industry insiders suggest United could recoup the full penalty from a Saudi trip during Riyadh Season, which kicks off on Friday and runs through to March.
It's a far cry from the £1million they earned when Sir Alex Ferguson's side visited Saudi Arabia back in 2008.
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Several options are on the table for United's potential Saudi visit.
They could participate in the Riyadh Season Cup, a mini-tournament featuring Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, which would guarantee around the £10million figure from two matches plus potential prize money.
Another possibility is a one-off exhibition match against a Saudi All-Star team, similar to PSG's glamour tie in January 2023, worth about £5million.
United might also opt for a warm-weather training camp combined with a single friendly, likely against Ronaldo's Al-Nassr, which would also bring in roughly £5million.
With no European football this season and a three-month gap before their next midweek fixture against West Ham in December, United have plenty of calendar space to fill.
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