Manchester United are in the midst of a takeover battle at Old Trafford and 'multiple parties' are still engaged with the process, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
Who is going to buy Manchester United?
According to BBC Sport journalist Simon Stoney via Stretford Paddock, Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and his firm, the Nine Two Foundation, could turn their interest to elsewhere in the Premier League if their latest bid to buy Manchester United is turned down.
The offer in question is for 100% control of the club and would end any association that the Glazers have with Manchester United if it was to be officially ratified, as per Sky Sports.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his petrochemicals firm INEOS are Sheikh Jassim's main rivals to try and acquire the Premier League giants, though his bid will offer the Glazers the opportunity to keep a 20% stake in Manchester United.
Manchester United have to meet Financial Fair Play obligations this summer, so they will need to juggle their finances in order to get key targets over the line, according to The Athletic.
As per The Daily Express, player sales could be an important part of enabling Erik Ten Hag to complete transfer business this summer at Old Trafford.
Club captain Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Fred and Jadon Sancho have been earmarked as players that could depart as part of a mini-squad cull in the off-season, as per The Independent.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs has detailed that 'multiple parties' are still engaged in the takeover process, though there is still no end in sight as of yet.
Jacobs told FFC: "The challenge for each of the suitors that have gone public, Sheikh Jassim and the Nine Two Foundation, is that they may feel six feet from the finishing line, but if their rival is only six inches, then that becomes irrelevant and that's the sort of situation we're in at the moment where each group feels they're quite close, but unsure whether their rival is even closer. Then, of course, the Glazers could just move the finishing line further back as well, so there's multiple parties still engaged."
What now for Manchester United?
In the midst of their takeover debacle, Ten Hag and his recruitment team will be solely focused on all things recruitment as he gears his side up for the new season.
Mason Mount has already completed a high-profile move to Old Trafford from Chelsea and made his debut for the club in a 2-0 friendly victory over Leeds United in Oslo, turning in a promising performance, as per The Guardian.
Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano has taken to Twitter to signal that Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana is likely to be next in line to join Mount, stating: "BREAKING: Manchester United are now closing in on André Onana deal as final verbal proposal has been made during talks today. Understand it’s €50m fee plus €5m add ons. Structure of add ons being discussed then… done deal. It’s imminent, as expected."
Manchester United have failed with a players-plus-cash offer to Atalanta to try and entice their rising star Rasmus Hojlund to the Premier League and only want a cash deal involving the Denmark international, according to The Athletic.
A Bola via METRO claim that Porto striker Mehdi Taremi is another target to potentially strengthen Ten Hag's forward line, indicating that a busy few weeks will be in store at Old Trafford that could yield some movement on the transfer front.
