Home » Manchester United set to meet with both public bidders in the next fortnight

Manchester United set to meet with both public bidders in the next fortnight

by Ayantan Chowdhury


On the pitch, Manchester United have been in superb form, claiming the Carabao Cup last weekend before reaching the quarterfinals of the FA Cup in mid-week.

But off the pitch, things have been far from smooth as the Glazers are still digging in their heels with regards to their full sale of the club they have destroyed during their tenure.

The American family are still holding out for a price closer to their £6bn valuation while the public bids from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, via his Nine Two Foundation, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who owns Ineos, are no more than £4.5bn.

Meeting on the cards

Reports have indicated that the Glazers could reach a compromise and countenance a sale for a price between both amounts while there have also been murmurs of them staying on and brining in a new strategic partner via a minority share.

As per The Guardian, both public bidders Thani and Ratcliffe are expected to hold their first meeting with the club and that can even be a face-to-face discussion.

“Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are expected to hold first meetings with Manchester United over the next fortnight regarding their respective bids to buy the club.

“These discussions may be face to face if possible, in London or Manchester, and may initially include representatives of Thani and Ratcliffe, the United hierarchy and the Raine Group, which is conducting the sale for the Glazers,” the report mentioned.

Initially, it was expected that sale would be completed within the first quarter and that would have led to a much smoother takeover with the new owners getting time to get the house in order.

Sale needs to happen this season

But currently there are question marks regarding the timeline of the entire situation. The new ownership will have a lot of work with regards to their footballing operations including the summer budget first and foremost.

Then there is the huge task of drastically improving the training complex at Carrington and also the possibility of renovating or rebuilding Old Trafford, an iconic stadium that the Glazers have hardly paid any attention to.

“It is understood that if no agreement is reached before the end of the season this may put a deal in jeopardy. The new owner would ideally want to put in place a transfer policy for the summer window.”

Fans are rightly worried about the Glazers staying as the family had expected a much larger bid. But the 1958’s continued protests and the idea of no new owners have also led to a downward spiral in terms of share price.

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