Kieran Maguire makes ‘colossal’ Man United claim after takeover twist in last hours
It will be a ‘colossal challenge’ for Man United to plan transfer activity this summer without knowing the status of the club’s takeover.
That is the opinion of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the ‘uncertainty’ behind-the-scenes at Old Trafford.
Football Insider sources revealed last Wednesday (19 April) that leading minority shareholders in Man United now believe that the future ownership of the club may not be resolved until after the end of the season.
The takeover process has already seen two rounds of bidding, and the Glazers have ordered a third round with frontrunners Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe asked to submit final offers by the end of April.
ESPN report that Joel and Avram Glazer are now confident about their chances of staying on as Man United owners.
Maguire believes that United will struggle to set a budget and compete in the transfer market without knowing the future of the club’s ownership in the summer.
“In all businesses, somebody has to be the budget-setter, and that person is usually at the executive level,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“It is going to be a colossal challenge at Man United if they are still unsure about their status as either being owned by the Glazers or still in the process of a takeover at the end of the season.
“There could be uncertainty with regard to who is approving of significant capital expenditure both on infrastructure and players.
“This could allow Man United’s rivals, both domestically and overseas to leapfrog them in the transfer market over the course of the summer.
“It would further set back the ambitions of the club.“
In other news, Man United told £50m+ bid will seal deal