Man Utd owner Avram Glazer is causing concern in Manchester as he looks to expand his stake in his latest sporting venture

MANCHESTER UNITED’s majority owners The Glazers are reportedly in talks for a surprise new investment in British sport.

The Glazer family took a backseat to Man Utd’s control following the minority stake acquired by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group earlier this year.

The Americans, who bought the Red Devils in 2005, also own the NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

However, they are now set to dip their toes into the UK cricket market.

According to The Telegraph, the Glazers are among the potential parties who could make an investment in a Hundred franchise.

The fourth edition of the competition starts today and runs until the final on August 27.

But the competition has fallen sharply short of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) financial hopes, prompting them to seek investment of up to £500m.

As a result, in September the ECB will begin a three-month auction-style process to sell stakes in the eight teams in the hope of restarting the competition in 2025.

On Monday, the ECB said it had spoken to all ten Indian Premier League team owners, although interest is said to be different.

They are also said to have sent documents explaining the laws of the game to NFL franchise owners in an effort to boost interest in the game in the US following the recent T20 Cricket World Cup held there.

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It is understood that talks have begun between several parties.

And it is reported that the Glazers, who already own UAE cricket team the Desert Vipers and are estimated to be worth £3.9bn, have expressed a “strong interest” in the investment.

The report does not mention a franchise in which they have a particular interest.

However, if they opt to stay close to home, then they could see them rooting for Manchester Originals, who play at the Old Trafford cricket ground, which is just 800 meters from the football stadium.

The ECB’s head of strategy, Vikram Banerjee, said he hoped the investments would “cream funding for the financial sustainability of all sport”.

Wrexham Hollywood owner Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are said to want to invest in Cardiff-based Welsh Fire, who are expected to be the lowest of the eight bids.

The ECB invited a number of investors to games during this series in the hope of persuading them to invest.