Man Utd owners the Glazers and Chelsea director in race to buy another team in £650million league

MANCHESTER UNITED owners the Glazer family and Chelsea chief Jonathan Goldstein are in the race to buy one of The Hundred cricket teams.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are looking for investors in the league.

The Hundred, which is a short-form 100-ball event that started in 2021, has eight clubs that are valued at a combined £650million.

With the opening round of bidding slamming shut this week, claim the ECB are “delighted” with the amount of interest.

Over 100 offers have supposedly been placed for the eight teams.

Capital-based sides London Spirit and Oval Invincibles have attracted proposals worth between £120m and £140m.

Deloitte and The Raine Group are in charge of the bidding war.

The latter played a key role in the sale of Chelsea to Todd Boehly in 2022 and in Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in Man Utd this year.

And with the investment bank involved, chiefs from both clubs have come forward for cricket.

Goldstein, who is Boehly's business partner, has reportedly asked for further information on the second round of bidding.

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And the Glazers, excluding Joel, have also come to the crease in recent weeks.

It is not clear which one of the eight teams the family, who are still hated among Man Utd fans for using massive loans to purchase the club for £790m in 2005, want to buy.

But they could be competing against India's richest family, the Ambanis, who have an eye on London Spirit.

The valuations from the first round of bidding are for 100 per cent of the teams.

ECB chiefs will sell their 49 per cent stake in each, with the cash raised set to be pumped back into the cricket.

The other 51 per cent will be given to the host counties.

They will then have the choice of what to do with their share.

Surrey reportedly wantto keep their 51 per cent stake of the Oval Invincibles.

But other counties could be open to selling their entire share.