US billionaire Leon Cooperman has reportedly bought just under one million shares in Manchester United.
Bloomberg have reported that Cooperman – who is a former hedge fund manager – has purchased shares worth £13.5m in the club.
The shock news of Cooperman’s investment in the club comes as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to take over 25 per cent of the club for £1.3bn is nearing completion after a long-winded sale process that began last November.
Ratcliffe and Qatari royal Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani were the front-runners in the bidding war and both parties submitted multiple offers, before Jassim withdrew from the process last month.
Cooperman founded Omega Advisors which is a private investment partnership based in New York City and has a reported net worth of more than £2bn, although he is expected to take a much smaller stake than Ratcliffe, meaning the unpopular Glazers will retain their majority ownership of the club.
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US billionaire Leon Cooperman has reportedly bought just under one million shares in Manchester United
The head of INEOS – who is expected to take control of football matters at Old Trafford – has a sporting empire which encompasses cycling, rugby and sailing along with two football teams in French side Nice and Swiss outfit Lausanne-Sport, while he also owns a third of F1 team Mercedes.