Manchester United chief pictured in Saudi Arabia amid takeover speculation

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer has been pictured in Saudi Arabia amid speculation over a takeover at Old Trafford.

Sunday Mirror Sport reported last month that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is preparing a sensational £4billion bid to buy United.

He had hoped to meet United's Glazer owners in the ­Middle East but as yet there appears to have been no meeting.

And speculation has been rife this week after Avram and managing director Richard Arnold were pictured in Saudi Arabia.

The pair met with Dr Mohammed Abo Sak, the Saudi minister of parliamentary affairs, in his home in Diriyah on Wednesday, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Dr Abo Sak's son, Faisal, previously worked for Saudi Telecom, who are United's longest running commercial partner, and has met Glazer when he has been in Saudi Arabia before.

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

A photo of the family's latest meeting with Glazer emerged on social media - which certainly got United fans talking after the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was linked with a mammoth takeover bid.

But the purpose of the visit is believed to be to speak at the Misk Global Forum at the Four Seasons Hotel in the capital, Riyadh.

Glazer had previously been due to take to the stage at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh last month, but pulled out following the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

United have more than five million fans in Saudi Arabia and entered into a strategic partnership with the nation's general sports authority last year.

"Having the chance to help shape the football industry in the Kingdom is a great honour and it is something where we believe we can make a big difference," Arnold said in October, 2017.

“I hope that this strategic alliance will benefit generations of Saudi footballers, supporters and young professionals looking to work in football well beyond Saudi Vision 2030.”