- Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim offered around £5bn for Man United
- They are reluctant to raise their bids following the team’s poor start to the season.
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Manchester United’s hesitant start to the season has done little to close the gap between the Glazers’ asking price and what is being offered to the club, Sports Mail understand.
A disappointing return of just six points from five games left Erik ten Hag’s side in 13th place in the Premier League and negatively impacted the perception that the fallen giants were finally ready to challenge under management of the Dutchman after the apparent revival of last year.
Talks and negotiations continue with interested parties, including the two favorites to buy the club, Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
However, the main reason for the delay in a process that began last November is the lack of agreement on the sale price.
While both competing parties have offered more than £5 billion, the Glazers are expecting much more.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) and Sheikh Jassim (right) offered over £5bn for Man United
The Glazer family wants a lot more money before agreeing to sell the Red Devils
Erik ten Hag saw his team struggle in the first few weeks of the season, and that didn’t convince Ratcliffe or Sheikh Jassim to increase their offers.
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And while the core elements of the business remain strong, a mediocre campaign has failed to inject urgency or persuade those involved to increase their offerings to a still-acceptable level.
Sources close to the process say the poor start for United, who then appear to have won twice and lost three times, including Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Brighton, has not gone unnoticed among the candidates.
They say the difficulties of this season have crystallized the scale of the rebuilding work needed and the scale of the investment that would be required on the player side for United to climb to the top of the table and into Europe again.
Although the fundamental revenue streams are so far intact, those involved have seen nothing to distract them from the idea that the prices offered represent a generous valuation of the club.
United have lost three of their opening five games this season, including a 3-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.
And the idea that United were a team on the rise under Ten Hag, having won the Carabao Cup and secured Champions League qualification last season, now has a question mark against it.
Off-the-field issues, with Antony and Jadon Sancho currently not being considered for selection, have added to what is a bleak picture ahead of tonight’s trip to Bayern Munich.
As we approach 12 months since the Glazers, who faced protests from fans, announced they were exploring “strategic alternatives”, no official update has been forthcoming. been made.
On Monday, chief executive Richard Arnold asked those present at an all-staff meeting to remain resilient, confirming precedent Sports Mail indicate that the strategic review is still ongoing.