Man Utd takeover bidder lays out transfer strategy as £125m dream target named

A former Manchester United bidder has laid out a transfer strategy as part of a new plan to bid for the Premier League side

Thomas Zilliacus has outlined his transfer plans as he prepares to approach investors regarding a bid for Manchester United. The Finnish businessman made an offer for the club two years ago and is now drafting a revised proposal.

Zilliacus and his XXI Century Capital launched a bid for United in 2023 when the Glazer family made it clear they would consider offers. He rivalled the likes of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim.

But this bid came too late and it was Ratcliffe’s Ineos that secured a nearly 30 per cent stake in the club. New rumours suggest that United could be taken over with whispers of a bid from the UAE and “advanced negotiations” being reached.

Zilliacus has confirmed he is open to working with investors and launching a new bid. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football he also outlined how he would handle Ruben Amorim’s poor spell and what transfers would be prioritised, including a player who once changed hands for £125million.

He said: “I mean under Sir Jim Ratcliffe it hasn’t been a roaring success. I don’t think anybody could claim that. So no criticism of him. I’m sure he has done the best he can. But unfortunately, in my opinion, there have been some poor choices regarding players. The new manager, it is maybe a bit early yet to say whether he can turn the ship around.

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“It’s not, of course, just the manager but the squad that he has… A lot of money has been put into the club and we still haven’t seen the results. I think that also reminds us of another very important thing, that this is a team.”

The Finnish former Nokia chief then elaborated on which areas of the side he would improve were he to be handed any control. He specifically played down the signing of superstars.

“I mean, football is at the end of the day a pretty simple game,” Zilliacus continued. “It’s about scoring more goals than you let in. You need to have a good attack, you need to have a good defence and in between that you need to have a good midfield.

“I think that I would honestly look at all parts of the team, I think that while there are some very good players, there is always room for improvement. But it is not about going out and buying the biggest star that is around.

“A good example, although he’s already over the hill, is Neymar. Even at his peak, I would never have brought a player like Neymar to Manchester United because that’s a player who expects everybody else to play for him.

“I would build a club very much on the basis of young, strong players who already have proven that they are really good top-class, but who still have a hunger to prove themselves in order to go even further.

“That should be the backbone of the team. Then you can have a few experienced guys in the gel as well. I think it’s always good to have a mix because the more mature guys, the more experienced guys, they also know how to act when things don’t go well.”

While he would have passed on Neymar in his prime, Zilliacus did name one player who he thinks fits the sort of character he admires. That star is Ousmane Dembele, who once cost Barcelona £125m.

“Look at PSG. Ousmane Dembele is such a perfect example,” he added. “Barcelona were pretty happy to see him go. Now he’s got the Ballon d’Or and he’s the star player in a team where he is allowed to play the way he should. But I also think the manager has managed to get him to understand that if he wants to be a star, he has to work. And now he’s doing it.”

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