Between insufficient initial offers and differences of opinion within the Glazer clan, the decision on the sale of Manchester United could take more time, say several British media on Wednesday.
“The Glazers have every intention of securing a higher price for Manchester United than the initial offers from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe (…) This makes the American family’s wish to conclude very unlikely the transaction before the end of March”, writes the Guardian. According to information that has filtered since the submission of the offers, on February 17, the two declared candidates for the takeover of the club only value it at 5.1 billion EUR while the Glazers were hoping for 6.5 billion EUR.
Sky Sports ensures, for its part, that there is a disagreement among the six members of the Glazer siblings who co-own the club. Joel and Avram, who are also co-presidents of the Red Devils, would even be reluctant to cede control, the television channel claims, citing “people who have worked” with the two men. Manchester United’s victory in the League Cup final on Sunday, its first trophy in six years, at which Avram Glazer was present, may further reinforce their hesitation.
The other four Glazers, Kevin, Edward, Bryan and Darcie, want to leave the club completely. When the surprise announcement of the club’s sale at the end of November, Avram and Joel Glazer had made it clear that they wanted to evaluate “all the options”. “There can be no assurance that (…) this will lead to a transaction involving the company”, he also warned in this press release.