Manchester United takeover news: Presentations for bidders in place for three weeks “in case more come forward”

A report by The Athletic has revealed that the presentation sets used by Manchester United for prospective bidders have remained in place for more than three weeks. The report goes on to state that people have theorised it is to remain prepared for further talks in case more bidders come forward.

So far, there have been only two public bidders vying for a majority stake in Manchester United- Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim. The third, Elliott Group has only offered to finance bids of prospective bidders.

Furthermore, the option of the Glazers not selling a majority stake at all is also on the table. The process has moved slowly since the second round of bids.

Slow progress of Manchester United takeover

As Manchester United have entered a busy period of the season on the pitch, the talks of off-field upheaval have naturally slowed down. The club has played three Premier League games in six days, which also caused a Marcus Rashford injury against Everton.

The last major update on the Manchester United takeover was the end of the second round of bids. After both public bidders fell short of Glazers’ valuation in the first round, they were invited to Old Trafford before the second round.

Both had a productive time of things and further discussions were to be expected. The presence of presentation sets still being in place since that second round states that progress is stalled, but now finished.

This would come as a relief to an increasingly anxious Manchester United fanbase. After all this upheaval at the board level, the prospect of Glazers staying as majority owners is a nightmare scenario for a majority of the fanbase.

There are pros and cons to both public bidders, and the Glazers are continuously trying to drum up interest to drive the asking price upwards.

In such an uncertain backdrop, even minor updates give an insight into the process and where it could be headed. In that sense, the prospects of Glazers relinquishing majority ownership strengthen with this report.