We knew the potential takeover of Manchester United would take time. The offers tabled thus far will be enough see our beloved football club involved in the biggest transaction in the history of sport, yet there is some questions marks over whether there will be a deal at all.
Wednesday’s soft deadline for second bids has come and gone, along with Thursday’s 4pm extension. INEOS owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, requested the extension and got his second bid in the door on Thursday while Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani appears to have gone quiet (for now).
It’s clear that neither of these bidders look particular keen to compete with each other towards the higher-end of the £6 billion asking price. Neither of them want to overpay even though we are already talking ridiculous money.
Then there’s Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus… who seems pretty opportunistic at best. It may seem harsh, but his attempts to get involved smell like a PR stunt.
The Glazers are doing their utmost to drive up the price even more. They are desperate for more parties to come forward with more bids for The Raine Group to consider.
Meanwhile, there are suggestions that as many as eight bidders are interested in the club. Some of these are willing to finance the Glazers, only to take up a minority stake in the club, i.e, complete disaster!
United fans are rightly desperate to get rid of the Glazers, but at the same time, the fanbase is split over what happens next. This includes match-goers and those who sit on social media all day and every day of their lives. Some fans are fawning over bidders buying the brand they support, which is a world away from what I fell in love with when I started going to games.
Yet I still love Manchester United. That is something that will never change.
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