Here are your Thursday evening Manchester United headlines.
Premier League opener revealed
Manchester United will start their 2023/24 Premier League campaign at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, August 14, it has been confirmed.
The Premier League released the dates of all 380 fixtures at 9am on Thursday morning, confirming that newly-promoted Burnley will take on champions Manchester City in the opening game of the season on Friday, August 11.
After facing Wolves on the opening weekend of the season, United will travel to the capital the following weekend to take on Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They will round off the opening month of the season with a tussle against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday, August 26.
ALSO READ: Nine Two registration explained amid United takeover speculation
Currently, only TV selections for the opening weekend of the season have been confirmed, meaning further tweaks to the fixture schedule will be made in the coming days and weeks. The campaign is scheduled to finish on Sunday, May 19, just a few weeks before the start of the 2024 European Championship in Germany.
Sheikh Jassim 'exclusivity'
Manchester United's takeover saga continues to be shrouded in confusion following claims Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani has been granted exclusivity in the negotiations to take over.
Current owners the Glazers announced their decision to "explore strategic alternatives for the club" back in November, with a seven-month wait following that initial statement. Five rounds of bidding have taken place with several US banking firms, Shiekh Jassim and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe entering the race to become the next owners of the Old Trafford outfit.
The Qatari banker set a deadline for Friday June 8, after which his Nine Two Foundation said they would no longer actively participate in discussions as they feel the Glazers and Raine Group, which is handling the sale, had had ample time to seek clarifications and revisions to his offer.
Now, the Reuters news agency has claimed that Sheikh Jassim has been granted exclusivity and could be set to take the helm at United. But those reports have also been widely dismissed by other outlets.
Reuters reports being told by people familiar with the matter that the Glazers are set to cash out and sell 100 per cent of the club to Sheikh Jassim in a deal claimed to be worth £4.7bn ($6bn). It adds United would not be allowed to negotiate with any other bidder during the exclusivity period, although it is not clear how long this might last.
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