Refuting initial reports that Apple has expressed interest in buying Premier League club Manchester United, a MacRumors report has claimed that the iPhone maker has no such plans. This comes after a report by British tabloid The Daily Star on Thursday claimed that Cupertino, California-based Apple is interested in buying Manchester United for around $7 billion.


According to the MacRumors report which cited a source, the report is false and the tech giant is not planning to invest in Manchester United. A report earlier today from The Daily Star claimed that Apple had expressed an interest in buying Manchester United, but our source with direct knowledge of the situation said the report is false.


A report by Daily Star on Thursday had claimed that technology giant Apple is interested in buying Manchester United for a whopping £5.8 billion. Glazers, the owners of United have decided to sell the club after caving in to the demands of those fans who have wanted them ousted, the report added.


Premier League club Manchester United has been majority owned by the Glazer family since 2005. The club announced on Tuesday that its board planned to "explore strategic alternatives," including a potential sale of the club. This report also came on the same day that Manchester United announced that star player Cristiano Ronaldo would be leaving the club.


Meanwhile, Apple is battling labour unrest at its Zhengzhou plant in China in the wake of overdue pay and frustration over severe Covid-19 restrictions in the country.


The unrest comes at a time when China is logging record numbers of Covid-19 infections and grappling with more and more lockdowns that have fuelled frustration among citizens across the country. But it has also exposed communication problems and mistrust of Foxconn management among some staff.


iPhone maker Foxconn launched a hiring drive earlier this month promising bonuses and higher salaries after it had to enact measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 in October. The curbs forced the company to isolate many employees and the plant’s conditions prompted several to flee.