Manchester United sale latest: Takeover deadline nears as Ten Hag’s side draw in Barcelona

Around the turn of the year, the Raine Group, which is overseeing the sale of Manchester United, approached investors from the state of Qatar if they were interested in buying the club. Sources with knowledge of the discussions say the reaction was initially lukewarm, partly because they thought it was a “fishing expedition” and there were doubts about how much the Glazer family owners really wanted to sell. It’s one of the questions clouding over this week and could yet ensure that Friday isn’t as crucial in the history of England’s biggest club as it is building.

It’s at least bigger than Thursday’s game against Barcelona, ​​which says something about why the situation is the way it is. As historic as this game at the Camp Nou is, it’s also a Europa League draw that used to be a Champions League draw, which has helped the Glazers wonder if now is the time to close sell.

There are few things in this whole process that can be said with certainty right now. As first reported by The Independent Back in August, the Glazers are interested in a sale but want £5bn for the club.

The report described the investors as “a group of private, wealthy individuals” from Qatar, which was hosting the 2022 World Cup.

United declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

There is a possibility that the Glazer family will not relinquish full control of Manchester United and will instead sell most of their shares to remain as minority shareholders within the new regime.

The Athletic conducted a poll of Manchester United fans and asked if they agreed with the result. 98% of voters wanted the Glazers to sell the club outright.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, born in Oldham and the only bidder to make his interest public, is a fan favorite with around 66% of United supporters backing his bid.

According to some sources sympathetic to the discussions about the sale of Manchester United. Today’s deadline could be disappointing due to suspicions about the Glazers’ intentions.

There are several people who know Joel and Avram Glazer who doubt their desire for a full takeover of the club, while the other four Glazer siblings, Bryan, Kevin, Ed and Darcie, are said to want out of Man Utd entirely.

With the Glazers in charge, there’s nothing stopping them from extending the deadline if the offers don’t meet their expectations.

Raine Group, which is overseeing the sale, had targeted a price of £6bn-7bn ($7.2bn-$8.4bn) and the industry remains skeptical that that fee will be reached. A lower price tag of around £5bn has also been rumored, which seems a more realistic prospect if the Glazers are willing to accept it.

Should today’s proposals appeal to the family, bidders will be given full access to Manchester United’s accounts to allow proper due diligence to be carried out.

There is no time limit for this step, although some feel that everything should be completed before the football season is over.

A well-made finish against Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the near post was the striker’s second goal of the season so far, equaling his personal best in a single season.

Ten Hag is enjoying Rashford’s recent goal-scoring move but has urged the player not to become complacent and to maintain his “focus” to ensure it continues.

Marcus Rashford, 25, was furious after failing to win a penalty after being felled by Jules Kounde on the edge of the box. It was a decision manager Erik ten Hag was booked for when he protested the lack of VAR intervention.

“I haven’t watched it but I don’t understand why the linesman or the umpire thinks I’m going down there?” Rashford said after the game.

“I touched him past him, my foot is in front of the ball and he hits my leg. It’s a clear contact and it was 100 percent a foul. Hopefully the second leg will be another good game and we can go one step further.”

Marcus Rashford continued his stellar form as he scored last night’s Camp Nou against Barcelona for a 1-1 second-half equaliser.

Both sides scored again but United conceded the late equalizer and Rashford told BT Sport: “It felt like defeat.

“We did well to get back into the game, staying calm and composed.

“We tried to create chances when we could and we scored two quick goals then we felt we were in control of the result but they are a top side and managed to equalize .”

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was unhappy with the standard of refereeing in his side’s 2-2 draw with Barcelona and the Dutchman was very vocal about decisions going against his side from the dugouts.

His antics earned him a yellow card and after the game he explained why he had a refereeing problem.

A 2-2 with many twists and turns, especially in what was a bright game. Manchester United’s trip to FC Barcelona is a famous Champions League game after all, having been an early Europa League play-off first leg here, with the eased pressure eventually leading to increased entertainment as the Spanish leaders don’t really look like it , as that expression was historically meant .

Their defense certainly looked off the level. After conceding just seven goals in 1,890 minutes of LaLiga football this season, Barcelona have suffered two in six minutes here as United regularly looked like they could score at will – particularly the exuberant Marcus Rashford.

He claimed one and set up the other before offering a final turn by missing a good chance of that type of form. That alone would still have felt a little harsh for Barca, who had enough big chances of their own towards the end. Ansu Fati was their answer to Rashford and turned the game the other way.

There is no exact timetable for Manchester United sale. If interested parties emerge after Friday’s soft deadline, the Glazers could well choose to extend the timeframe for potential investors in hopes that a publicity battle will push up the price buyers are willing to pay .

Should a deal be agreed, it would need to be ratified by the Premier League. Depending on the source of funds and the type of buyer, how long this process would take may vary.

PIF’s interest in Newcastle was announced in April 2020 but only completed in October 2021, for example.