Manchester United fans continue to wait for a resolution over the club’s sale. No official timeline is in place.
The Athletic journalist David Ornstein has told FIVE what he knows about the timeframe for Manchester United’s sale.
A new bid was made for the club earlier this week from Qatari investor Sheikh Jassim, who had recognised his previous ‘final offer’ was not enough.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also made an offer for the club, with investment bank The Raine Group overseeing thee bids on behalf of the Glazers.
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Manchester United sale
This process has been dragging on since it began in November. At the end of last year, Ornstein told told NBC Sports he expected the club to be sold in ‘early 2023’.
We are past that now, with the Glazers dragging out the sale through three rounds of bidding, which Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solkehol described this week as ‘undignified’.
Disclosing the latest he is hearing on the situation, Ornstein explained: “I speak to some people who think we are not far off a conclusion to this process.
“Whether that be the full sale takeover or partial investment; investment of some sort is going to be coming relatively soon.
“Yes there has been a fourth bid by Sheikh Jassim, we’re told. His camp have let that be known. Exactly what price that is, there seems to be a bit of discrepancy around. He seems to be short of what the Glazers would like for Manchester United.”
He added that ‘no his knowledge’, the Glazer or Raine have not spoken directly with Sheikh Jassim.
Ultimately he pointed out that the decision will lie with only the Glazers, and apart from that, ‘nobody knows’, and everything else is speculation, over which way they will decide.
Sheikh Jassim’s most recent bid bypassed the Raine Group and went directly to the Glazers. Whether that is an own goal, a desperate last play, or a masterstroke, we will soon find out. Soon, hopefully – but no date is set in stone.