The Glazer family will make around $150 million by selling part of its stake in Manchester United although the deal will leave the Americans firmly in control of the English club.

The Glazers, who bought United for £790 million ($1.34 billion) in 2005, are selling eight million of their shares in the club which amounts to a stake of about five per cent.

Once the shares are sold, the six children of the late Malcolm Glazer will still own more than 80 per cent of the club’s total shareholding.

None of the proceeds will go to the club itself, a fact that is likely to annoy some fans who have long campaigned against owners they accuse of burdening United with excess levels of debt following their takeover.

The sale of the shares would create a more liquid market for United stock after a flotation on the New York Stock Exchange two years ago.

The shares were listed at $14 and rose to a price of $19.31 on Wednesday, valuing the club at almost $3.2 billion.

United, English champions a record 20 times, are seeking to rebound after a poor season in which they finished only seventh in the Premier League, missing out on a place in the lucrative European club competitions in the coming season.

Optimism has been fuelled by the arrival of a new manager, Dutchman Louis van Gaal, and the signing of a new sports equipment deal with Adidas worth a record £750 million over 10 years.

General Motors Co signed a $559 million seven-year sponsorship deal with the club for GM’s global mainstream auto brand, Chevrolet, to appear on team jerseys.

The Glazers also own the NFL team The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Family patriarch Malcolm Glazer died earlier this year.