Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have led bids to purchase the team. The Glazer family said last year that they would explore investment offers, including the complete sale of Man Utd. CEO Richard Arnold was recently questioned about updates at a supporters’ forum.
Richard Arnold, the CEO of Manchester United, has acknowledged that he is not in a position to offer many updates regarding the club’s potential takeover.
The Glazer family declared last year that they would think about taking in outside funding or selling the team as a whole.
Both INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari financier Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani have put forth offers to acquire complete ownership of the team, but as of yet, none of them have been accepted.
Earlier this month, 90min revealed that Ratcliffe is now willing to buy a minority share in United in the event that he is unable to seize complete control right away.
Arnold was asked about the buyout during a question and answer session earlier this week at United’s supporters forum. He was unable to give too much of an update, though.
“The club understood the desire for a resolution as soon as possible but reiterated that, as a publicly listed company, it was impossible to provide updates until such a time as there is an outcome that can be communicated to the market,” he stated.
In response to the question of whether the Glazers are aware of the fans’ desperate search for new ownership for the team, Arnold stated, “The club was transparent in its feedback to the owners.”
At the conference, Arnold defended United’s recent transfer deals while football director John Murtough disclosed that the team was looking into the injury crisis that has dogged their season thus far.
“We make decisions in each window based on a well-defined long-term squad strategy implemented by John Murtough and the staff. We were aware that there would be a change, but I sympathize with the players’ and fans’ disappointment that the outcomes haven’t lived up to the hype thus far, said Arnold.