Journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that a full takeover of Manchester United could happen before the transfer window.
What's the latest Man Utd takeover news?
As things stand, Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Ineos Sports owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe are two parties keen on buying the club.
On top of this, a number of financial investors have shown interest in becoming minority shareholders. While recently, American financial investor Carlyle have been reported as having talks over talks about a major investment in Man Utd.
The long and short of it is, a number of different groups want to buy or invest in the Red Devils, but it remains unclear what exactly the Glazers will do.
However, while talking on The Content podcast, Jacobs drop some exciting news for those in doubt of any change soon with regard to ownership.
Indeed, the journalist claimed that there is still a chance a sale could happen between now and the opening of the transfer window.
He explained (7:34): “Even though there is a third round of bidding, we may not have to enter into a period of exclusivity after this. Or if there is one, it may be relatively short.
“So there is still a chance that this gets done between now and when the transfer window opens, if the Glazers choose to proceed.”
What has been said about the MUFC takeover?
In his explanation, Jacobs references a "period of exclusivity". This is a period of time (often around 30 to 60 days) during which a seller is prohibited from carrying out or furthering activities that relate to the sale of a firm with parties other than the prospective buyer with whom they have signed a letter of intent (via Divestopedia).
It seems as though that period could be shortened to speed up the whole process if they agree with one party – such as Sheikh Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe – to accept a bid and then proceed with the sale process.
Of course, though, it still remains unclear if the Glazer family will actually sell or if they simply want more investment.
This has been a source of frustration for the Manchester United Supporters Trust who recently released a statement calling for the conclusion of the auction "without further delay".
They noted that the speculation has lasted nearly five months and noted that the "prolonged uncertainty" is of great concern to Manchester United.
