Post by Taxigirl on Dec 1, 2003 11:17:11 GMT
Manchester United have confirmed US sports baron Malcolm Glazer has bought the 4.5% stake announced on Friday.
The owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers now owns a 14.31% chunk of Britain's richest soccer club.
The deal has reignited talk that Mr Glazer is considering a takeover, with United's shares at a three-year high.
He has reportedly held talks with Manchester United's chief executive David Gill in the US but has not stated if he intends to make an offer.
His holding is still lower than that of Irish tycoons JP McManus and John Magnier, who hold a 23.15% stake.
They have also been linked with a possible takeover offer.
Dutch TV entrepreneur John de Mol, another shareholder in the club, has also been mentioned as a possible suitor.
Speculation about a possible takeover bid for Manchester United has followed the club for months.
Following the announcement United shares rose 1pence, or 0.38%, to 264 pence.
United's shares have risen by 150% in the last year as the takeover talk has increased.
On Friday they hit a three-year high when news of a major acquisition of shares by the German Commerzbank was revealed.
The London head of Commerzbank, Mehmet Dalman, was revealed as the man behind the move but today it has emerged that those shares have now been passed on to Mr Glazer.
Super Bowl victory
Mr Glazer shot to fame in the United States when he spent $192m in 1995 for the struggling US football Tampa Bay franchise.
He funded a new $200m stadium and helped drag the team out of the doldrums, culminating in this year's Super Bowl victory.
His family made its money from the oil and gas industries, is listed as the 244th richest American by Forbes magazine, worth an estimated one billion dollars.
He was recently tipped to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.