Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is still being kept in the dark about the future ownership of the club.
And that has paralysed the Dutchman's plans to continue his rebuilding plan at Old Trafford, despite hitting a £100million jackpot by qualifying for the Champions League. Sources close to Ten Hag have confirmed that he has been given little information about whether the Glazer family intend to follow through on an opportunity to sell United to Sir Jim Ratcliffe or Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani.
They also have a third option of bringing in outside investment to finance a stadium rebuild without relinquishing control. The sale process is now starting to have a negative effect on Ten Hag's hopes of making the signings that will help his team challenge for the Premier League title and the Champions League.
Ten Hag works closely with director of football John Murtough. But the Glazers are resolved to squeezing every single penny out of a potential sale after demanding £6billion to walk away. That has so far proved to be too rich for both Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim.
Ratcliffe, the owner of petrochemical giants INEOS and valued as Britain’s wealthiest man, has alienated a large proportion of United’s fanbase by offering to buy a controlling interest and allowing Glazer brothers Joel and Avram to retain their stake in the club. Sheikh Jassim wants to purchase the entire club.
The process is now into its sixth month and the longer it goes without being resolved, the more Ten Hag's transfer plans are likely to be affected. Earlier this month, Ten Hag was asked whether he'd been told his budget for the summer.
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"No, I don't have influence on that," the Dutchman confirmed. "The only thing I know is that Man United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, one of the biggest two or three from a fanbase perspective.
"The club has to compete for the highest [honours] in the world - the Champions League, Premier League - but in football you need funds to construct squads because the level of your players decides if you are successful or not. Everyone knows you need funds to construct a squad and high-level players cost a lot of money."
Ten Hag added: "It's clear what I want but it's not up to me. It's about others in this club. The family are the owners, they make the decisions. Where I can make my influence I will do, so I’m focusing on improving the squad, the team development. I have to make sure the team is progressing."
