Football giants Manchester United have reportedly entered talks to purchase the license of Central Coast Mariners and relocate the club to Sydney.<\/p>\n
In one of the more sensational twists for Australian football, the Sydney Morning Herald reports the global sporting icon is looking to establish a franchise in the A-League.<\/p>\n
According to the report, the United have held lengthy discussions with Central Coast owner Mike Charlesworth in the UK about acquiring the Mariners' license and turning the franchise into a sister club for the EPL giants.<\/p>\n
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While a deal is yet to be struck, The Herald<\/em> claims that the Red Devils are willing to rescue the cash-strapped Mariners, however, it could come at the expense of the club's affiliation with the Central Coast.<\/p>\n Instead, the Mariners could soon find themselves relocated to Sydney's northern suburbs with games likely to be played at North Sydney or Brookvale.<\/p>\n United's reported bid follows that of cross-town rivals Manchester City who purchased Melbourne Heart in 2014, rebranding the A-league club as Melbourne City and incorporating them into the City Football Group global network.<\/p>\n The Mariners also have a long-standing connection with United's upper-hierarchy, with Red Devils' assistant coach, Mike Phelan, appointed to the role of sporting director of Central Coast in 2018.<\/p>\n The Mariners have struggled financially and have been in a desperate hunt for investment in recent years. No price is believed to have yet been agreed upon.<\/p>\n Manchester United's revenue was $905 million last year and the club was listed as the tenth most valuable sporting team in the world by Forbes in 2020, said to be worth more than $5 billion.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n