Glazers have upper hand in takeover talks

This could turn out to be a seismic week for Man United but for all of the wrong reasons, as the Glazer family still hold the upper hand in negotiations to sell the club.

According to Sky Sports, the two bidders who made it through to the second stage of the negotiation process, Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will meet the current owners by the end of this week.

Quite what will come out of either meeting will be found out in due course, with both bids significantly different to the other.

The Independent ran a statement from Sheikh Jassim which confirmed he wished to buy 100 percent of the club, whilst Sir Jim’s offer, per Sky Sports, is for 69 percent of the club.

Sky Sports also note that Elliott Investment Management will offer funding rather than involving themselves in a takeover process.

That leaves the possibility open that, if the Glazer family aren’t happy with the level of the offers from the prospective parties, they could perhaps look to a new funding structure themselves.

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The latter scenario is certainly a worst case for long-suffering United fans, and with d-day looming in negotiations, it is the Glazers that remain firmly with the upper hand.

Given the depth of ill feeling towards the current owners it would be a shock if they were to knock back either of the bids, however, whether any protests continue or not, it appears that unless they get their asking price, the potential rebirth of this storied club will be delayed once more.