Manchester United have had concrete talks with the owners of the Australian side Central Coast Mariners about a deal to buy and move the A-league side.
The Mariners, who are currently at the top of the A-League, have been struggling financially for several years and have been in a desperate search for significant investment after owner Mike Charlesworth announced his intention to freeze all funding and sell his shares in the club.
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Take another look at @MarcoUrenaCR and the Simmo combination from Tuesday’s draw against Wanderers. #CCMFC #WontBackDown @FOXFOOTBALL #CCMvSYD tickets ?? https://t.co/BQfUev48Vq pic.twitter.com/NklvVIkNpp
– Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) April 11, 2021
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, United have offered to come to the rescue and have had long talks with Charlesworth over a deal to buy the club, provided they can cut ties with the Central Coast region and take the team to Sydney.
An agreement has not yet been finalized, although sources close to the negotiations are convinced that there will be no significant obstacles to skip, and A-League officials are happy with the idea as they hope United’s commitment will improve the league’s global profile.
It seems like a random deal, but the two clubs actually have history. Man Utd assistant manager Mike Phelan was appointed sports manager for the sailors in the summer of 2018 and retains that position while he also serves as Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s right man.
Phelan has worked with Mariners | Matthew Ashton – AMA / Getty Images
If the deal went through, it would see United follow in the footsteps of city rivals Manchester City, who paid the best part of £ 8m for control of Melbourne Heart, which was quickly renamed Melbourne City in 2014.
Such a fee can be used as a benchmark in these negotiations. A price tag has not yet been agreed, but Charlesworth has also suggested including commercial real estate and a training base in Tuggerah, all personally owned by the sailors’ manager, in the deal.
Focused on Saturday. #CCMFC # WUNvCCM # WontBackDown pic.twitter.com/SI0N5JFGyj
– Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) April 13, 2021
Talks have been held with many potential investors from around the world. Singapore-based consortium First11 Capital and businessman Abdul Helou in Sydney both failed to reach an agreement with Charlesworth, but the hope is that United will be able to get things across the border.
From a neutral perspective, it would give a fascinating watch. The Mariners are at the top of the league, with Melbourne City just two points behind, so there is already something of a competitive rivalry between the two teams.
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