It’s been almost a year since the Glazer family effectively put Man United up for sale, and we’re still no closer to knowing whether they are actually willing to sell to either Sheikh Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Much to the chagrin of the long-suffering supporters of the club, the current owners don’t appear to be willing to budge from their world record valuation of £6bn.
Sheikh Jassim has made an offer of £5bn to take full control of the club, whilst Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid was believed to be for the 67 percent that the Glazer’s currently own.
Amidst what’s being perceived as another pressure tactic to get things moving, the Qatari delegation have publicly stated, according to The Times (subscription required), that they have no intention whatsoever of raising their final bid.
It comes in the wake of a new offer from Sir Jim, which amounts to £1.5bn for 25 percent of the club, which would meet the Glazer’s own valuation.
That’s being seen as a move to get Sheikh Jassim to re-enter negotiations, but he isn’t biting.
What that potentially means is that the Glazer family could decide to stay put and utilise Ratcliffe’s money in some way, but the status quo at the club would effectively remain the same – unless the longer-term strategy is to allow Ratcliffe to manage a staged takeover of the business.
In any event, it’s hard to see what immediate benefit this is to Man United.