Manchester United cannot allow further delays to their takeover in the same way Newcastle United saw Mike Ashley's ownership extended by an additional 18 months.
While the North East club may now be upwardly-mobile after investing over £250 million in their playing squad, backing by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund was a long time coming. Interest from the kingdom's Public Investment Fund (PIF) emerged in January 2020, two years after the public face of their bid Amanda Staveley first attempted to buy the club in 2018.
All seemed straightforward after agreeing to a £300m deal with Ashley. A request to undertake the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' Test was swiftly filed in April 2020 by the PIF-backed consortium comprised of Staveley's firm PCP Capital Partners and the Reuben Brothers. An initially anticipated four-week wait for a decision came and went, with Premier League chief executive Richard Masters refusing to comment, or place a time frame on the ongoing matter.
READ MORE: Ten Hag's ideal United squad next season after perfect transfer window
Three-and-a-half months after checks began, the takeover collapsed as the prospective owners pulled out of the process due to the prolonged delay. That meant their acquisition was now untenable after their contract of sale had lapsed. The move eventually completed more than a year later, following a compromise after various interventions from the British, Saudi Arabian and Qatari governments.
For United, such as delay would prompt further questions over what comes next. It has already been four months since the Glazer family put the club up for sale.
For comparison, the Raine Group overseeing this sale process sold Chelsea to Todd Boehly's Clearlake Capital-backed consortium in half that time, albeit with government sanctions on Roman Abramovich hastening the process. Regardless, the Glazers reportedly hoped to sell before the end of April.
That has since been pushed back by a month, crucially before the summer transfer window opens. Erik ten Hag deserves backing after delivering silverware in his first season at Old Trafford rather than delays running into June and July or beyond.
The Manchester Evening News understands a goalscorer is a priority, with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane continually linked with the club. But a new centre-forward alone should be considered the bare minimum. With Jude Bellingham widely expected to be available for the right price, United cannot afford to be evaluating takeover bids while their rivals across the Premier League and continental Europe are addressing transfer bids to Borussia Dortmund.
Likewise, Kane and Osimhen, particularly the latter, cannot be expected to wait around for United to have their house in order while other offers are on the table. Chaos already reigned last week with Raine's extended deadline during the relatively fallow period presented the club sides by international breaks. Further uncertainty cannot be allowed to breed.
After a season delivering silverware and Ten Hag's team in pole position for a return to the Champions League, United cannot waste such an opportunity to attack an appealing transfer market from a position of strength.
READ NEXT:
