Manchester United club staff are fearing for their job security as the takeover process of the club rumbles on.
The Guardian report that the club's 800+ staff members have been told nothing about the ongoing saga around the future of the club, which took a new twist on Thursday when it was announced that United were negotiating a period of exclusivity with Sheikh Jassim's Qatar-based consortium.
Staff are said to be expressing concern about their jobs seven months after the Glazers first announced that they were considering a possible sale of United, with the differences in the possible regimes that could be introduced only increasing worries.
Sheikh Jassim is pursuing a deal for 100 per cent of United, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group are seeking just over half of the club.
Those reports around the supposed period of exclusivity for Sheikh Jassim were first reported by Reuters on Thursday, however they were later denied and it is thought that neither party is currently aware who is ahead in the race.
Paperwork showing that the Sheikh's company, Nine Two Holdings Ltd, had appeared to have been approved in the UK by Companies House emerged on Thursday, with the company registered at a London address.
Ratcliffe is said to have been holding talks with the Glazers in New York over the past month, but it is now suggested that the takeover process could drag on into next season.
That contradicts with what the former United defender Rio Ferdinand said on Thursday, when the former England international said he had heard the Qatar takeover of the club was mere "hours away".
“The Man Utd takeover is imminent,” Ferdinand said in his Five channel on Youtube.
“We are hearing the Qatari bid is the one that has been accepted, the one that is imminent and the one that is going to go through. Hallelujah, man. I cannot wait. Please let this happen.
“Look how long this has gone on for. The Glazers have dug their heels in. It will go to the biggest bidder which is normal in negotiations but I want this to be resolved before the transfer window kicks in and now it is opening and starting to move.
“I have woken up every day hoping that every day there will be a bid accepted. We are hearing that it is close.
"It will happen in a matter of days. If not a matter of hours. If it does not, we do not know how much money we have to spend and United will be playing catch up. So fingers crossed this information is really true – I have it from a good source that it is true.”
