According to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, the club’s takeover process is experiencing delays due to internal disagreements within the Glazer family. However, he anticipates that there will be an update on the situation during this week.
In June, Ferdinand, a former England international, revealed that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani had successfully submitted a takeover bid, and an official announcement was expected shortly. Initially, it seemed like INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe was leading the race, but a substantial bid from the Qatar delegation pushed them ahead again.
Despite this, it has been three weeks since then, and the progress of the sale remains unclear to United fans. Ferdinand now suggests that certain members of the Glazer family are causing delays in the takeover process, and the Ratcliffe bid is still not entirely ruled out 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].
ALSO READ: Controversy trails ex-finance minister, Zainab Ahmed, world bank appointment
“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.
ALSO READ: ‘I wanted to become lawyer or newscaster’, Actress Ini Edo reveals childhood dream
“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 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.“