Manchester United owners the Glazer family are reportedly all aligned in their thinking regarding a potential takeover by either Sheikh Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The prolonged process has seen both bidders, Erik ten Hag and the fanbase all grow frustrated as the Glazers have been unable to pick between the offers as they look to hold out for their initial £6billion asking price.
The Glazer family hired the Raine Group over seven months ago to begin handling what could end up as a full takeover of the club, as several deadlines have come and gone the Financial Times has claimed that sources familiar with the deal have stated that the family are all on the same page in regards to a sale.
However, the current group in charge at Old Trafford are described as “very slow decision-makers” who are “deliberate” in how they think and make calls, which would include the hugely significant sale of the club they purchased nearly 20 years ago in a highly-leveraged deal.
Joel Glazer is said to “take forever” on any decision he makes. Negotiations with Jassim and Ratcliffe are no different with both bidders hopeful and optimistic of their chances, but there is yet to be any final call made by the family.
Other sources deny the claim that the Glazers are aligned, which could be further delaying any takeover as even if a preferred bidder was named in the near future, it is unlikely that either Jassim or Ratcliffe could be in place for the start of the Premier League season due to the diligent process of vetting which could take up to 12 weeks.
Ten Hag is thought to be frustrated that the Red Devils’ summer transfer plans are being hampered by the delayed sale, as they are set to miss out on targets Declan Rice and Kim Min-jae to Arsenal and Bayern Munich respectively – after pulling out of talks for Tottenham star Harry Kane.
The news comes after two former players in Gary Neville and Dimitar Berbatov urged the Glazers to hurry up and complete the sale of the club. “Embarrassing. But it’s what they have done, drag everything out, always in their best interests,” Neville told BBC 5 Live Sport as he blasted the current owners.
“Fans not being updated by owners on ownership sale not good enough but fitting with how they have operated for 20 years now.”
Berbatov echoed Neville’s concerns to Betfred: “The takeover needs to happen soon because then you have the security and the funds to buy players you need. Now is the time for Manchester United to go and challenge and if the takeover affects Erik ten Hag’s summer transfer plans, then of course he’s going to be angry as the club needs to be powerful in the transfer market to compete with Manchester City. Hopefully the takeover can happen soon so Erik can be given the funds to buy the players he needs.”
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