MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 31: General view inside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United and Swansea City at Old Trafford on March 31, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand says the club’s protracted takeover is being held up by internal disagreements among the Glazer family but expects an update this week.
In the middle of June, the former England international claimed that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani had been successful in his takeover bid and an official announcement would be imminent.
Although INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe had appeared to be in pole position at one stage, a mammoth take-it-or-leave-it bid from the Qatar delegation seemed to nudge them back into the lead.
But, three weeks later, United fans are still in the dark over the progress of the sale and Ferdinand now claims some members of the Glazer family are holding up the takeover, with the Ratcliffe bid still not out of the running either.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube show about his previous claims, Ferdinand said: ‘I had some news from a very good source, my great source at Manchester United. Things were running quite smoothly and it was going down the right path but then obviously [it hit a bump].
‘I think the big issue is, when you’re dealing with a group of people rather than an individual, it makes things very complex and difficult at times. You’re not dealing with one individual with the Glazers – I think Jim Ratcliffe came out and said it.
‘That’s been the issue behind the scenes, I didn’t want to come out and say it, but you’re dealing with siblings in the Glazer family who are there to make a collective decision.
I don’t think one person can just make a decision on their own, so therefore that makes it very difficult to say yes immediately just like that [clicks fingers]. It’s a process that they have to go through.
‘I think that we all assume that Jim Ratcliffe and his group are totally out of it but I don’t think that’s the case, I think they haven’t been told that they’re gone and that they’re done with in this.
‘I think Sheikh Jassim and that Qatar bid is obviously there and it’s strong. But at the moment it’s kind of down to the Glazers to make a decision together and go, “Right this is what we want to do
But I think maybe one of the problems has been, from what I hear, that some of them want to remain involved and some aren’t happy with the number, and then it’s just general negotiations around that as well on little details.’
Reacting to suggestions that an update may come on Tuesday, Ferdinand added: ‘I think the Qataris have gone as far as they’re going to go. This is them, this is their final offer and it’s a kind of take-it-or-leave-it situation. I can’t see it being anything else than that.
‘I can’t see the statement being anything else than that. “Listen, we are here, we’re at the table, but we’re being held back” would be the kind of gist of it.’
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