The Manchester United takeover saga shows no sign of reaching a conclusion, with Sheikh Jassim’s post-deadline bid submitted on Tuesday afternoon adding another twist after it became apparent last week that senior figures behind the rival Ineos offer were increasingly confident that they would be given preferred bidder status.
Raine Group, the New York bank overseeing the sale process on behalf of the Glazers, have provided no details on when decisions are likely to be made, despite a series of deadlines passing, but there had been increased dialogue with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos in recent days indicating that they were edging towards a period of exclusivity.
Yet for the club’s benefit there is an onus on a resolution being found soon - not least when it comes to ensuring Erik ten Hag has a squad capable of competing next season. Beyond that the eventual next owner will have a host of other issues and major decisions to make around shaping Manchester United of the future.
And among the most critical will be the future of Old Trafford, which looks more dated with every passing season despite retaining its place as the country’s biggest club ground. The facilities, not least for big-spending corporate visitors, have been overtaken by far more impressive grounds elsewhere - but there are also basic issues in terms of toilets and catering that are now grossly inferior to many rivals.
The last piece of significant work at Old Trafford was completed in 2006, with the addition of upper quadrants on either side of what is now known as the Sir Alex Ferguson stand. And since then there has been little more than the occasional lick of paint.
Even under the Glazers’ ownership there has been an increased awareness around the need to improve the stadium and earlier this season two consultancy groups, Legends International and Populous (who were behind the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium), presented a host of options from demolishing the stadium and relocating to finding a way to expand the south stand, which has previously been tricky owing to the train line that runs behind it.
The potential new owner will be granted access to the information submitted by LI and Populous but a new owner may think differently and previous comments from Bob Ratcliffe, the younger brother of Ineos chief Sir Jim and head of the company’s football department, offer a clear indication of their likely approach.
Many years ago Bob Ratcliffe had a season ticket at Stamford Bridge and railed against how it was becoming such a corporate environment. But after Ineos decided to submit a last-minute bid to buy Chelsea last year that did not progress particularly far, he gave an interview to BBC 5Live that nominated a key issue: another stadium past its sell-by date that is difficult to renovate.
"There was some early exchange but we were a significant way apart on valuations,” the younger Ratcliffe said. "The issue with Chelsea is its stadium. We are all getting older and it is a decade of your life to resolve that."
That would appear to rule out a nuclear option such as levelling Old Trafford and building it back from the ground or relocating elsewhere. Instead improving the existing structure, which could still cost £1bn, is likely their Plan A.
Second-guessing Sheikh Jassim’s intentions for the ground, meanwhile, is entirely futile since so little is known about his bid’s entire approach save for a willingness to submit that post-deadline bid in a last roll of the dice.
