Michael Knighton is convinced it is the right time for Manchester United to be bought out.
Chemical tycoon Sir James Ratcliffe, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes to be about £14billion, has made his interest known and has Knighton's backing. Knighton is also involved with another consortium who are waiting to see how events unfold.
"There are strong comparisons between Manchester United in 1989 and Manchester United now, apart from the figures involved becoming much bigger," he told the Daily Mail.
"United was a failing business in '89, they never made any money. When I was juggling that ball, they'd just announced losses of £1.3m on a turnover of £7m. The fans hated the Edwards family [the owners] and they hadn't won the league for 22 years.
"And look at where the club are now. I knew a year ago they were in crisis. The structure is wrong, The Glazers pay themselves substantial dividends and United have to service a debt of nearly £500m.
"It was only a matter of time before the problems would manifest themselves on the pitch. The first couple of games have been horrible and manager Erik ten Hag looked very distressed at Brentford, realising the task he has.
"Unless they sign some talented players at the end of the window, they look a relegation team."