Stephen Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics, has indicated that he is currently evaluating opportunities in the Premier League.
While he had previously declined to dismiss the idea of a potential move for Manchester United in March, the US billionaire is now open to considering investments in the English top-flight.
Notably, Pagliuca had also contemplated a move for Liverpool before Fenway Sports Group’s takeover in 2010. His interest in Premier League clubs suggests that he is exploring possibilities to invest in the highly competitive football league.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Stephen Pagliuca, who holds a 55 per cent stake in Serie A club Atalanta, discussed his current position regarding potential investments in a Premier League club.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, he said:
“A league like the Premier League, if three or four teams are owned by a sovereign with basically unlimited investment, to be in the Champions League there is basically only one spot left for the other 16 teams that don’t have that kind of resources.”
“We’re assessing opportunities [in the Premier League]. I think there’s a higher bar there than there would have been, in terms that you have to be sure you have an academy and a structure where you can keep up with the economic disparity.”
Eight months after the sale announcement in November, there has been little progress in reaching a conclusion for the takeover process at Man United.
While Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani are considered frontrunners in the bidding, concerns arise that the Glazer family may choose to retain ownership despite multiple rounds of offers.
Sheikh Jassim is aiming for a complete acquisition of the club, while Ratcliffe is considering obtaining a majority stake and potentially allowing Avram and Joel Glazer to remain as minority shareholders.
The uncertain outcome of the takeover is keeping the situation at United in a state of flux, with no clear resolution in sight.
Last week, Sir Dave Brailsford, the sporting director at INEOS, stated that Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains optimistic about completing a takeover of United.
However, neither Ratcliffe nor Sheikh Jassim has made any official statements since formally expressing their interest in the club back in February.
The situation surrounding the potential takeover remains without any public updates from the interested parties.
