Meet the billionaire former Chelsea ace who is rich enough to buy Man Utd

Ex-Chelsea youth team player Faiq Bolkiah, nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, is one of the few individuals with the financial means to purchase Manchester United from the Glazers. Despite his staggering net worth of approximately £15 billion, Bolkiah has pursued a career in football.

The 27-year-old spent time in Southampton's youth academy before joining Chelsea in 2014. He penned a two-year youth contract but failed to make a first-time appearance before joining at Leicester City, which he encountered similar struggles throughout a four-year period.

After leaving Leicester in 2020, Bolkiah signed his first professional contract with Maritimo. After only two appearances for the Portuguese club, he moved to Thailand to play for Chonburi and since 2023, he's been playing for Thai League 1 side Ratchaburi.

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His commitment to establishing a career in football despite his family wealth is commendable, especially considering he could theoretically afford the £5.2bn the Glazer family are reportedly asking for to approve a sale of the Red Devils. However, there is no indication that he is interested in such a move.

While United's current value stands at £2bn, the Floridian businessmen are believed to be seeking double that amount. The significant premium could be based on anticipated increases in the club's value, such as plans for their new stadium.

Speculation about United's future was fuelled earlier this week when Saudi billionaire Turki Al-Sheikh stirred the pot on social media.

Al-Sheikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, took to social media to announce that a new investor is on the brink of striking a deal with Manchester United. He posted: "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."

As speculation mounted online about the potential exit of the Glazer family, who have faced numerous protests from United fans during their two-decade tenure at Old Trafford, Al-Sheikh clarified that he was not the investor.

In a subsequent post, he elaborated: "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 Glazers assumed control of United in 2005 in a transaction valued at £790 million. In 2023, they sold a 25% stake in the club to British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who later increased his minority shareholding to 28.9% in a deal worth a staggering £1.25 billion.

Despite the Glazers retaining majority ownership, Ratcliffe confessed on The Business podcast that he would resist any attempts by the Americans to dismiss Ruben Amorim.

Despite their significant worth, the Red Devils have struggled to find success on the field, currently sitting in 10th place in the Premier League table. Despite a less than stellar start to the season under Amorim's first full tenure, INEOS boss Ratcliffe has given him a three-year window to prove his mettle.

"He has not had the best of seasons," Ratcliffe admitted. "Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That's where I would be."