The owners of D.C. United, Washington’s Major League Soccer team, are quietly weighing a sale of the franchise, people briefed on the discussions said on Sunday.
The potential sale arose from efforts by D.C. United’s majority owners to sell a 35 percent stake once held by the investor Will Chang. Mr. Chang sold that stake to the team last fall.
D.C. United’s owners had delayed that sale process while they worked on preparations for the team’s new stadium, which broke ground in February. As they resumed exploring a sale of some, or all, of Mr. Chang’s former stake, they also began to consider selling the team, the people said.
In recent weeks, the team has reached out to several important people within the Washington sports community, including Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, and Ted Leonsis, owner of the N.B.A.’s Washington Wizards and the N.H.L.’s Capitals, the people said.
Several prominent N.F.L. owners also own professional soccer teams, among them Arthur Blank, who owns the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, and Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution.
D.C. United is mired in last place in the Eastern Conference, and its attendance is among the league’s lowest. Nevertheless, a sale of D.C. United would probably be the most expensive involving a professional soccer team. Including the new stadium and the team’s debt, the franchise’s enterprise value could approach $500 million.
D.C. United’s owners may also choose not to pursue a transaction, the people added.
M.L.S. has expected the price of teams to climb as the sport picks up popularity in the United States. Last year, the league’s deputy commissioner, Mark Abbott, told Bloomberg News that he expected expansion fees to roughly double, to $200 million.
Forbes estimated last fall that the average M.L.S. club was worth $185 million, up 18 percent from 2015. The most valuable team, according to the publication, was the Seattle Sounders at an estimated $285 million. D.C. United’s value then was estimated at $155 million.
D.C. United’s current majority owner is Erick Thohir, an Indonesia-born businessman with interests in media and sports businesses. His father was Teddy Thohir, an influential Indonesian business mogul.
Besides owning D.C. United, Erick Thohir is a part owner and president of Italy’s Inter Milan soccer club. He sold a majority stake in Inter Milan to Suning Holdings Group, a Chinese conglomerate, last year.
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