Manchester United icon Gary Neville has revealed that the “priority” for the Red Devils needs to be for the Glazer family to exit the club amid claims that they could end up staying.
The Old Trafford club have been up for sale since November with a soft deadline for bids coming and going over recent days. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to spearhead a takeover effort in the UK, while Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani is thought to have launched a Qatari-backed bid.
There have been further developments elsewhere with US hedge fund Elliott Investment Management keen on investing in the Red Devils albeit stopping short of putting together their own takeover bid. As per ESPN, any investment from Elliott could actually lead to the Glazer family remaining and extending their nearly two-decade ownership of the club.
Joel and Avram Glazer, co-chairmen of United, could potentially retain their stakes in the club should alternative investment arrive as opposed to a full purchase. That is likely a decision that would not go down well with United fans - the Glazers having been met with a number of protests throughout their time at the club.
Former Red Devils defender Neville has offered his view on that eventuality by claiming that the Glazers remaining is simply not an option. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I think what scares Man United fans most is the feeling this Man United ownership are running this process to drive a massive price up.
"To try to somehow establish a level which means two of them can stay in and the rest of the family that want out can be bought out by an American fund who wouldn't mind owning a minority or significant share but not the entirety of the share.
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"That's the biggest concern. The whole emphasis at this moment in time from Man United fans is this has to be the end of the Glazer ownership.
"They've run out of money, they've not invested in the stadium… the fans want a new stadium, whether that's Old Trafford refurbished or a new one rebuilt, we need new facilities. Man United's stadium is behind a lot of the big [clubs] in Europe.
"The sporting project they've failed on in the last 10 years since Sir Alex Ferguson left. It's doing quite well at the moment, third in the league but it's not where Man United want to be.
"I still think there is a focus that this isn't one big charade that the Glazers are running to try to establish a value which would be for their brothers and sisters to exit and the couple that want to stay in to stay. There's a priority at this moment in time for them to go."
