Former Chelsea wonderkid worth $20bn touted as potential Manchester United buyer

Manchester United's long-standing owners, the Glazers, stunned world football on Wednesday by announcing that they are considering selling the Premier League club.

The American family have owned United since completing a controversial takeover of the club in 2005.

There have been fan protests against the Glazers' ownership for the entirety of their 17-year reign and they are now considering selling up, with the Red Devils currently valued at up to £5bn.

Attention has turned to who might be able to afford such a fee, which would be the highest-price ever paid for a sports team.

Who has been linked with a bid for United?

Several names have been put forward as potential buyers, including boyhood United fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Zara owner Amancio Ortega and even a potential bid from American company Apple.

The world's richest man, Elon Musk, has previously joked about buying the club, while David Beckham has also been linked with a potential takeover as part of a consortium.

One of the more improbable claims is that a former Chelsea youth player, known as the world's richest footballer, could table a shock bid to buy the club.

'World's richest footballer'

The Daily Star have linked Faiq Bolkiah with a potential takeover attempt.

The 24-year-old, who played youth football for Southampton, Chelsea and Leicester, is believed to have a remarkable net worth of around $20bn, or £17.8bn.

His incredible wealth comes from family ties, with his uncle Hassanal Bolkiah the Sultan of Brunei.

But Bolkiah, who is still playing football with Thai club Chonburi, has not expressed an interest in buying Manchester United - or any other club for that matter.

Nevertheless, it appears that there will no shortage of potential buyers for Manchester United, should the Glazers decide to sell.