ONE PARTY NOW "OPTIMISTIC" OF COMPLETING MAN UNITED TAKEOVER

Manchester United bidders INEOS, who are fronted by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are 'cautiously optimistic' over their chances of sealing a deal to take over at Old Trafford, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest takeover news involving Manchester United?

As per Sky Sports, Ratcliffe and his petrochemicals firm INEOS are said to be the 'leading candidate' to assume control of Manchester United from the Glazer family.

The report states that Ratcliffe wants to buy a majority controlling stake in the Premier League giants that would leave Joel and Avram Glazer in minority stakeholding positions and INEOS remain the preferred option despite a new offer from rival bidder Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani.

Former Manchester United icon Gary Neville has spoken about his frustration surrounding the ownership debacle on Twitter, stating: "Plainly obvious the Glazer family aren’t going to announce anything on the ownership until the season is closed! They’ve been spinning it out unprofessionally for weeks and months now. They know fan protests would have been more significant than they already have if matches were still being played and the end result of the sale process is unpopular."

INEOS want to purchase 69% of the club, whereas Sheikh Jassim and the Nine Two Foundation want to claim 100% of Manchester United and clear debt owed by the club, as per GOAL.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that Ratcliffe and his INEOS team will be quietly confident over their chances of becoming the new owners of the Red Devils.

Jacobs told FFC: "INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have a flexible offer on the table, they're prepared to get in control of the club and allow Joel and Avram Glazer to stay, but they're also prepared to buy 69% of the football club. As a consequence of that and because their valuation is higher than the Nine Two Foundation, at around £6.5 billion, there's less of a negotiation there and more questioning around technical points of that bid and INEOS remain cautiously optimistic."

What next for Manchester United?

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag will be keen to focus on matters on the field and will be readying his side for another tilt at trophy glory this weekend as they prepare to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

The Red Devils have already recorded Carabao Cup success this term and Ten Hag will want to add another trophy to his cabinet to complement what has been a commendable season in charge as his side will also have Champions League football to look forward to in 2023/24.

Transfer targets will also be on the agenda for Manchester United and they are reportedly going to make a 'formal approach' to try and acquire Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, as per Sky Sports.

Mount may be the first of several arrivals at Old Trafford as things get set to hot up on and off the pitch at Manchester United in the next few weeks.

2023-06-01T19:40:58Z dg43tfdfdgfd