Manchester United have set a deadline for bids to buy the club after the Glazers put them up for sale earlier in the season.
The club have reportedly been priced at around £5bn, double the amount that Chelsea sold for in May, and there are thought to be no shortage of suitors despite the prohibitive and extortionate price tag.
According to reports, ‘candidates in America, the Middle East and even Asia have privately expressed formal interest’, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly made his interest clear, but ‘US bidders – including some of those who inquired about Chelsea – and a mystery Arabic investment group are seen as leading the running’ to take the club off the hands of the Glazers, who put it up for sale in November.
And, as per the Telegraph, takeover bids have to be tabled within the next ten days, setting a deadline of 18th February, though there is expected to be some leeway on that should initial interest not result in bids.
Regarding the full sale, they add that “there appears still to be flexibility around deadlines, but the club aims to complete a deal within the first quarter or by the end of April”, meaning that the January transfer window is likely to be the last one having been overseen by the Glazer family at Old Trafford.
And the Daily Mail add that Qatar are the current favourites to land the club, with the investors ‘confident that theirs will be the strongest bid’ and ready to ‘arm manager Erik ten Hag with a vast war chest in order to take United back to the top of world football, which is where they feel the club belongs.’
And that is before turning to the pitch, where Erik ten Hag will likely demand to be backed further in the transfer market, and the squad in dire need of reinforcements this summer.
