Glazers' preferred bidder decision given time frame

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 21 May 2023 17:45 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United owners the Glazer family are considering delaying a decision about whether to sell the club until after the season has ended.

A report in ESPN has suggested that the American owners may well wait until the end of the campaign before making a decision on which bidder they would rather take over the club.

Sheihk Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe appear to be the frontrunners in taking over the club. But there still is no indication yet over which side is likely to land the club.

READ MORE: ‘Transfer window over’- Glazers latest move impedes Man Utd summer

Ratcliffe has offered to buy a 50 per cent stake - a move that will see Avram and Joel Glazer retain 20 per cent.

The Qatar group's bid, however, is for a total stake in the club. They intend to clear the club’s debt entirely and invest in the club and the surrounding community.

Erik ten Hag’s window impeded

But it seems that the whole process will be delayed still further. According to the report, one of the reasons for this is that the Glazers are still trying to come to an agreement about their future with the side - Joel and Avram Glazer are reluctant to give up their stake.

The Glazers are still unsure about which offer to accept and now there are genuine fears that their indecisiveness will negatively impact Manchester United’s upcoming transfer window.

A news story from Sportico read: “After six months of negotiations and bids, a resolution is still pending as the Glazers do not have a unified decision on what they will do with the club, according to people familiar with the process. They are expected to review all their options at the end of May.”

It comes after the news that Erik ten Hag could be handed an enormous transfer war chest to dip into this summer if Sir Jim Ratcliffe is successful in taking over at Old Trafford.

The CEO of chemicals conglomerate INEOS – one of the favourites to take control of Man Utd – is now the second-richest person in the UK, according to the newly published Sunday Times Rich List 2023.

The Glazers first put Man Utd on the market back in November and are said to value the club at close to €7bn (£6bn).