Billionaire Leon Cooperman increases Man Utd stake to 5.2%; takeover bid ruled out

There has been a reshuffle of shares at Manchester United after billionaire investor Leon Cooperman extended his stake in the club following a deal with British investment firm Lindsell Train.

The majority owners of Manchester United are the Glazer family, which has been the case for over 20 years, despite many protests conducted by fans being aimed at the American family.

However, after initially investing in United back in 2017, Lindsell Train was the largest institutional shareholder four years later when it held 11.6 million shares.

Lindsell Train sold 3.1 million shares in early 2024 when Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought over 25% of the club and gave the key to football operations to his Ineos chiefs. The British billionaire now owns 27.7%.

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They have cut their shares since then, with a 20% decrease announced in October 2024 and a further 13% by the first quarter of 2025.

As things stand, Ariel Investments is the largest institutional shareholder at United, with 8.9 million shares as of September 2025.

Leon Cooperman builds stake at Manchester United

With Lindsell Train activity cutting their shares at United, it’s an opportunity for existing shareholders to extend their stake or for new shareholders to get their foot in the door.

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American billionaire Leon Cooperman has taken advantage of that by building on his existing stake at United.

Cooperman purchased shares worth $16.8 million in November 2023, before Ratcliffe became co-owner.

According to The Independent, Cooperman has increased his stake to 5.2% of the club’s Class A shares, which are valued at more than $50m.

The 82-year-old now has more than 2.9 million shares in the club.

Cooperman has not taken any shares from the Glazer family or Ratcliffe, and there is no suggestion that he is planning a takeover.

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The Class B shares at United come with greater voting rights, so Cooperman is not expected to make any big decisions that will impact the running of the club.

This means Cooperman holds a passive position as a shareholder because his shares have not been acquired for the purpose of changing or influencing control of the club.

Cooperman may be outspoken on subjects like finance, but he has not commented publicly on United since investing in the club.

How much money has Sir Jim Ratcliffe put towards Man Utd?

Ratcliffe initially paid £1.3 billion at $33 per share to take control of 25% of the football club.

That stake jumped to 27.7% when Ratcliffe put a further £300m into the club for infrastructure purposes.

Ratcliffe has always invested £50m into improving the first-team facilities at Carrington training complex.

United also have plans for new stadium development over the coming years, with construction yet to start.

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