Despite ongoing speculations surrounding Manchester United's future, the English club has maintained its focus on the summer transfer window, pushing forth strategic player acquisitions. As the sale of the club lingers, American sports journalist Ben Jacobs sheds light on the situation in a recent interview with Give Me Sport.
According to Jacobs, Manchester United's transfer efforts have not stalled despite the ongoing sale talks. "The good news for Manchester United is that they have been able to move in the transfer market, which was always the case regardless of any prospective new owner," Jacobs clarified.
However, he noted a looming disadvantage: any new potential club owner might not influence the team's squad before the transfer window closes. "The window could potentially close or be very close to closing before any prospective new owner - should they come in - has any influence," Jacobs explained.
Amid the ambiguity, the Red Devils have been proactive on the transfer front. A major coup this summer was the £55 million ($70 million) signing of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount. Additionally, Manchester United is currently pursuing Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana. These player transfers, if successful, will essentially be considered under the present ownership of the Glazer family.
The sale of Manchester United has been a hot topic since the Glazer family announced their intention to entertain offers in November 2022. After months of intense negotiations involving multiple interested parties, the battle for ownership now centers around English billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari royal Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani.
Ratcliffe, who helms global chemical company Ineos, and Sheikh Jassim have been competing fiercely, with rumors of Sheikh Jassim's imminent triumph surfacing earlier this month. However, there's no obvious frontrunner, as both parties have put forward equally appealing proposals.
Jacobs further elaborated on the impasse, noting, "It's highly frustrating to both Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe because when they first started this process, they were very much planning around being able to impact this window. Now it doesn't look like that's going to be able to be the case."
Ratcliffe is reportedly eyeing Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona if his acquisition efforts for Manchester United, his childhood club, fall through. Meanwhile, the Red Devils' followers are kept in suspense, as the sale process extends into its fifth month of negotiation.
