28 March 2023 , 05:27
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Manchester United officials believe the club’s takeover process will derail the planning of boss Erik ten Hag ahead of next season.
It comes amid the bidding process to buy United, with multiple offers to buy the club including a group led by Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and another from Britain’s richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The Glazers have pushed back their deadline to complete a sale of the club with the ownership situation at Old Trafford still unclear.
The Glazer family are exploring outside investment or a full sale of the club they bought 18 years ago. The Americans are deeply unpopular among the club's fans, with the Red Devils having gone a decade without winning the Premier League title.
Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim still haven’t met the Glazer family’s £6billion valuation - and are understood to both be more than £1billion short of the asking price being demanded.
At least two of the six Glazer siblings are understood to prefer an option which would see an outside investor buy a stake in the club to help finance huge capital projects like the redevelopment of the Old Trafford stadium and Carrington training ground.
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ESPN cites sources as stating that the current period of flux at the club has led to uncertainty off the pitch regarding their summer planning. Boss Ten Hag wants transfer business done early this summer with several deals, including acquiring a top tier striker, to be completed before the club’s pre-season tour in July.
Avram and Joel Glazer have put Manchester United up for sale (Getty Images)Have Your Say! Which prospective owner would be best for Man Utd? Tell us what you think here.
However, any transfer negotiations will not commence until a new owner is in place – as is the case with player contract extensions. That is currently holding up any new deals for first-team players, including that of Marcus Rashford, being concluded.
There are likely to be significant off-field changes at the club should a takeover bid be completed, meaning potential turbulence for this summer's window. Chelsea's takeover by Todd Boehly last year and subsequent sacking of Thomas Tuchel in September is a case in point of potential changes, though United manager Ten Hag is not thought to be under threat.
In December, it emerged that the Glazer family did not take dividend payments from United for the first time in six years, partly due to the club's huge transfer spend last summer. Any major decisions, including permanent transfers, will be held up until the club's future is clarified.
The Glazers have hired the Raine Group to act as the Red Devils' exclusive financial advisor and try to find interested parties. At the end of last year, Avram Glazer used his trip to watch the World Cup in Qatar to hold talks with potential investors in United.