Manchester United football department to play key role in sale of the club
Manchester United will make presentations to takeover bidders, with scouting, transfer strategy and first-team operations on display with the football department playing a KEY role in the potential sale.
- Prospective Manchester United buyers will receive introductions from officials
- Scouting, transfers and the operation of the club’s first team will be revealed
- Qatar group due to be in Manchester next week, Ratcliffe team could be next
Manchester United’s football department will play a key role in the possible sale of the club in the coming days.
United bidders who have completed the second stage of a three-step process will head to Manchester over the next two weeks, where they will receive presentations from various senior officials on their areas of expertise.
And Sportsmail understands that the club’s scouting network, transfer strategy and first-team operations will be laid bare.
Those close to the process believe much of the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of director of football John Murtough.
The former Everton executive came to the club on the recommendation of former manager David Moyes and will not only be able to provide a deep dive into the operation of football, but will also be in a position to provide a comprehensive account of United’s recent history.
John Murtough (right) will play a leading role in introducing potential buyers
The leading candidates to buy United are Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani (L) and Jim Ratcliffe (R) and their teams are ready to see United’s soccer operations laid bare.
He may want to avoid a dissection of Sunday’s 7-0 thrashing of rivals Liverpool, after which he was heard saying “I had better days, that’s for sure” after being asked how he felt.
A 49-year-old former United member, Murtough, who is from Longsight city centre, will also be able to talk about the club’s culture and its significance to Manchester’s red half.
Other areas of the business are likely to be featured as well, including the club’s commercial and financial departments.
It may also be revealed that those involved, including the Qatari bid revealed by this newspaper and led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s team, will recruit design and build experts to quickly provide independent estimates on likely costs. to renovate Old Trafford or build a new stadium and upgrade the club’s Carrington training complex.
The Qatar group should be in Manchester next week. It is believed that Ratcliffe’s team could be next in line.
After discussions and presentations, those on the hunt will be asked to return with a second offer. At that stage, New York-based Raine Group, which is handling the process for United’s owners, the Glazer family, will inform their fellow Americans.
Then it is likely that they will choose a bidder to enter into an exclusivity period. In theory, there would be further negotiations before an agreed final price. The Glazers remain open to partial investment offers along with a full acquisition.
If things go according to plan, a deal could be reached by the end of the month.
The next stages of the United takeover are underway as the bidders prepare to meet with club officials.
