Pro wrestlers appearing on a show at Morecambe FC added fuel to claims that Tyson Fury and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are lining up a takeover bid for the football club.
It was reported in several national media sources over the weekend, that the boxer and former footballer were considering trying to buy the Shrimps.
The Sun on Sunday said that Fury - who lived in Morecambe for years before his recent move to the Isle of Man - and ex-Manchester United star Zlatan were talking about the idea while working on a World Cup advert in Poland last week.
The article said they wanted to buy the club and make a Netflix documentary called 'The Rise of Morecambe' - similar to Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds' hit series on Wrexham.
This was then also reported in The Mirror, The Metro, GB News and a number of overseas media outlets.
Beyond Radio took claims of a possible takeover by the sporting superstars with a pinch of salt, as the former world heavyweight boxing champion told us exclusively during an interview in 2023 that he had no interest in buying Morecambe FC.
The club is also not up for sale, having changed ownership to Panjab Warriors last summer.
But then on Sunday, at the 'Bash at the Bay' wrestling event held at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium, a stunt by two professional wrestlers raised eyebrows.
Before entering the ring for their match, Ryan Hunter and Omega Luke were encouraged to wear Morecambe shirts with 'Fury' and 'Zlatan' on the back.
Hunter and Luke then sported the shirts as they came out onto the football pitch at the Mazuma, for their bout in front of a Bank Holiday audience of grapple fans.
Morecambe FC officials - including members of senior management - were in attendance.
The wrestlers also posed for photos in the club bar, wearing the shirts.
The stunt was part of the first ever pro wrestling event held outdoors at the football ground, a collaboration between Morecambe FC and London/Portsmouth-based promoters Revolution Pro Wrestling.
Omega Luke wearing the shirt with 'Zlatan' on the back during his match at the football club on Sunday.
Beyond Radio has spoken to Morecambe FC about the shirt incident. The club declined to comment.
We have also contacted Fury's management for comment, but had no response as we went to press.
Morecambe FC has been owned since August 2025 by Panjab Warriors, who bought the club from Bond Group Investments after a long sales process.
In 2022, shortly after the club went up for sale, Tyson told TalkSPORT that he'd been offered the chance to buy Morecambe FC and was thinking it over.
But in February 2023, 'The Gypsy King told us: "I got asked would I want to buy the club, basically I said no, I'm not interested, that was it, and the papers will make what they will of it.
Tyson Fury, promoter Frank Warren, trainer Sugar Hill and manager Spencer Brown at a press conference held at Morecambe FC in 2024
"I think it was a good story for them to say Tyson's interested in buying Morecambe Football Club.
"I've been sponsoring the Morecambe's Ladies team. I don't know many people who sponsor ladies football.
"Then I got the opportunity to sponsor the men's team as well. It probably helped the club out a little bit, with paying some bills."
The boxer moved with his family to the Isle of Man late last year.
But the former champion still has links to Morecambe, including his gym at the Mazuma complex.
The stadium hosted a press conference for his undisputed world heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, and the football club was also location for his daughter Venezuela's hen party earlier this year.
Ibrahimovic is a retired former Swedish international striker, who scored more than 570 career goals playing for the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Fury's favourite team, Manchester United.
The pair posed for photos when they met in Warsaw, even teasing the unlikely scenario of a possible fight between them in August.
Zlatan posted on his social media last week: "BREAKING NEWS! ITS ON AUGUST 1 DUBLIN Ireland" with photos of the sportsmen staring down.
Photo credit: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Fury's manager Spencer Brown, speaking to IFL TV, said: "It's a warm up fight for Tyson. They had a great time together. He's a big boy, Zlatan, he's been doing a lot of boxing training.
"Tyson's up for it, Zlatan's up for it. We've just got to find the money now."
But Brown appeared to be joking, as when pressed by the interviewer, he said: "I'm not giving you an answer. It's a silly question. But anything can happen. It's boxing."
Morecambe FC were relegated to the National League North last season, their third relegation since 2023 from their highest position of League One.
It was revealed on Tuesday that the club made a loss of more than a million pounds for the third year in a row, during the 2024/25 financial year.
The latest accounts show that a further loss of around £2m is predicted for the end of the tax year to May 31, 2026, and that the future of the club as a limited company is dependent on the current owners continuing to fund the deficit.
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