Ex-Man Utd coach demands takeover ‘clarity’ and makes £7bn claim as ‘winning’ bidder is backed
Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen wants some “clarity” regarding the takeover process as Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim attempts to complete a deal.
The Red Devils have been up for sale since the end of last year and it remains to be seen when this takeover process will be finalised.
The Glazer family have reportedly butted heads in recent months over whether they should sanction a full sale with Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim and INEOS’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe placed as the leading candidates to oust United’s current owners.
Ratcliffe is willing to keep the Glazer family on board at Man Utd with a reduced stake while Sheikh Jassim is only interested in a 100% takeover.
It was believed at one stage that Ratcliffe is leading the takeover race but Sheikh Jassim has upped his offer on several occasions to – if reports are to be believed – leave him as the frontrunner.
Earlier this month, it was claimed by The Sun that Sheikh Jassim is ‘set to win’ the takeover race and a deal will be ‘done’ later this year.
Former Man Utd coach Meulensteen – who previously worked with Sir Alex Ferguson – would like “clarity” from the club’s new owners.
He also claimed that Man Utd have grown to be worth “more than £7bn”.
“We’ve heard it before and the fans hear it all the time… I hope there’s going to be clarity for the fans that the owners come in and have the right vision and ideas to take the team forward for the next few years,” Meulensteen told Caught Offside.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Glazers have spent over £1bn since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and given the managers the support to get players in, but the issue is the lack of communication.
“It’s been really lucrative for them business-wise. From the moment they came in it was always business, but under Ferguson and myself we managed it well. Since Sir Alex left it’s expanded in many ways, and is now worth more than £7bn.
“I know the people in Qatar very well, I have warm memories of my time there – of course it was nothing like it is now. Still, these people care very much about football in their country and they’ll be the same with United. Let’s hope they also bring in people with a culture and identity to build the club in the next few years.”
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