Apple CEO Tim Cook's telling comments as he explores purchasing Man Utd from the Glazers

Apple CEO Tim Cook is reportedly exploring an option to purchase Manchester United from the Glazers - and if his previous comments are anything to go by he'd be very much involved in the project.

Cook reportedly has big plans to take the Red Devils into the 21st century by turning Old Trafford into a new state-of-the-art stadium and, ideally, the club back into a serious force in world football.

The Glazers are not popular owners at United, with supporters regularly staging protests to encourage the family to leave. Red Devils fans appear to finally be getting their wish, and it seems Cook - who has his eye on buying the club, according to the Daily Star, could be a more hands-on chairman if his potential takeover bid is indeed successful.

Speaking about his love for sports back in 2019, the Apple CEO said: "I think sports is still a great unifier. It's the one thing we can all rally around and people put their other interests aside to either fight the other side or hopefully join forces. So sports always comes up. CEOs are people, too. They love sports, too."

The Glazers confirmed on Tuesday that they are ready to sell United, 17 years after they purchased the club in 2005.

The Apple CEO has emerged as an early contender to buy the club, but the tech giant chief will face competition from a number of interested investors, including British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

The lifelong Man United fan, who owns petrochemical giant Ineos, is ready to launch a bid to take over the Red Devils after he tried and failed to buy Chelsea last season.

US-based Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment and the Red Knights consortium, led by Lord Jim O'Neill, are also in the frame to purchase the club.

The Financial Times reports that David Beckham is open to holding talks with potential buyers of the football club.

The former United midfielder is unable to afford the Old Trafford club by himself but could form part of an investment consortium.

Prospective buyers are likely to be keen to enlist the Red Devils legend to help boost their chances of winning the race to purchase the club.

Apple CEO Cook's reported plans to update Old Trafford would likely go down very well with fans, with many angry that the Glazers allowed the stadium to fall into disrepair.

Cristiano Ronaldo recently hit out at the state of the facilities in his explosive tell-all interview with Piers Morgan, which effectively saw his contract at United terminated.

"Nothing changed [since I left]," Ronaldo told Talk TV. "The pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym, even some technology. Even the chefs who I appreciate, lovely people. I thought I would see new technology, infrastructure. I saw things I saw when I was 20, 21, 23."