Prospective Manchester United owners have been left ‘baffled’ over silence from the Glazer family, according to reports.
The Glazers, who have owned United since 2005, put the club on the market in November.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe or Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani could take over from the Glazers – if they decide to accept a bid.
But the Americans have not ruled out keeping control of the club and brining in new investors instead, with Elliott Management bidding for a minority stake.
According to the Independent, the three bidders have not received any updates on the sale process, which has caused ‘bafflement’ among prospective owners.
The second bids were submitted in late March – and it was anticipated that the Glazers would have responded by now – but there has been radio silence.
Their lack of response has led to beliefs that the Glazers want to attract more bidders or are leaning more towards keeping the club and bringing in investors.
Former United defender Gary Neville is worried that is exactly what the Glazers are plotting.
‘I think what scares Man Utd fans most is the feeling this Man Utd ownership are running this process to drive a massive price up,’ Neville said on his podcast.
‘To try to somehow establish a level which means two of them can stay in and the rest of the family that want out can be bought out by an American fund who wouldn’t mind owning a minority or significant share but not the entirety of the share.
‘That’s the biggest concern. The whole emphasis at this moment in time from Man Utd fans is this has to be the end of the Glazer ownership.
‘They’ve run out of money, they’ve not invested in the stadium… the fans want a new stadium, whether that’s Old Trafford refurbished or a new one rebuilt, we need new facilities. Man Utd’s stadium is behind a lot of the big [clubs] in Europe.
‘I still think there is a focus that this isn’t one big charade that the Glazers are running to try to establish a value which would be for their brothers and sisters to exit and the couple that want to stay in to stay. There’s a priority at this moment in time for them to go.’
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