The potential sale of Manchester United by the Glazer family continues to drag on, with it now more than five months after they announced they were open to offers to buy the club.
The Glazers have repeatedly pushed back their deadline to complete a sale, with INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani the two frontrunners to buy the club. A number of US investment companies such as Elliott Management, the Carlyle Group and Ares Management have also made minority investment proposals.
As a result of the takeover saga continuing to drag on, Mirror Football understands that United have put their pursuits of leading transfer targets like Tottenham star Harry Kane, Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber on the back-burner.
Manager Erik ten Hag is keen to build on what has been a largely successful first season in charge, with United winning the Carabao Cup, set to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final and in a good position to seal Champions League qualification with a top four finish in the league.
However, his transfer plans have been left in limbo by the takeover, with Ten Hag concerned about the uncertainty over who will own the club next season. And those transfer targets could change depending on whose bid is successful, with PSG star Kylian Mbappe a top target for Sheikh Jassim.
Speaking earlier this month, Ten Hag addressed the ongoing uncertainty and the potential impact on this summer's transfer business. "The only thing I know is that Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world and one of the biggest two or three from a fanbase perspective," he said.
"The club has to compete on the highest [level] in the world – Champions League and Premier League – and in football you need funds to construct squads because in the end the level from your players decides if you are successful or not.
"It is quite 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. I do everything I can and I influenced the processes I'm in charge of. Where I can take my influence I will. I am focussing on improving the squad and the team development.
"We see this as a project and the project also requires that in your windows you strengthen your squad or make investments so you get more balance. I think we have already shown the improvement that we can beat the best teams in the world and I think we can compete in the Champions League but there is some way to go."
