Manchester United takeover: Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol answers your questions | Football News

A potential takeover of Manchester United continues to dominate the sports news agenda.

Bids for ownership of the club from Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s INEOS group were confirmed on Friday, while it was revealed on Saturday that US hedge fund Elliott Management also lodged a proposal for possible financing.

But is this a full takeover? Will United’s current owners the Glazer family sell the club completely, what could this mean for spending in the summer transfer window, and when will we know the outcome?

You’ve been sending in your questions and Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol has been answering them. We’ve picked out the best ones below…

‘Qatar the favourites | Takeover ideally completed by summer’

Q: Who do you think is most likely to be successful with their bid?

KS: “I think at the moment the Qataris are out in front. My understanding is they are confident and they have the best bid on the table, not just in terms of price, but also their vision for the club and the team – and how they’d invest in the men’s and women’s teams, the stadium and local regeneration.

“You would have to say the Qataris are the favourites. They have the money to do the deal and they’re confident there will be no issues with UEFA and the Premier League.”

Q: When will a deal for the club be decided?

KS: “I think ideally it would suit all parties to make sure it’s done before the end of the season. From United’s point of view, it wouldn’t make sense to go into another transfer window without the ownership being settled, because the Glazers aren’t going to want to spend money in the window without knowing if they’re staying or leaving, but it all depends if they really want to sell.”

Q: When will we know who the preferred bidder is?

KS: “If there are only two bidders to buy the club outright, then it shouldn’t take too long for Raine and the Glazers to give them full access to the club’s accounts.

“As of Monday morning, the bidders haven’t heard back from Raine and you have to bear in mind that New York is five hours behind the UK.”

Q: Can INEOS compete with Qatari funds?

KS: “The simple answer to that question is no. The Qataris have almost unlimited funds, but the distinction is they only have unlimited funds if you consider this to be a state-backed takeover bid.

“We’re being told that Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani is acting in a personal capacity and he will not overpay for United.”

‘It depends what the Glazers want | They won’t drop price’

Q: Can US hedge fund Elliott Management give the Glazers what they want?

KS: “Elliot Management’s proposal is different than the other two bidders because they’re not trying to buy the club. Instead, they’re willing to provide financing for another bid or provide funds which would allow the Glazers to redevelop Old Trafford.

“So it all depends on what the Glazers want to do. Do they think now is the best time to sell the club, or will selling a minority stake make more sense and make United even more valuable in the future.”

Q: Are there no bids from Saudi Arabia?

KS: “As far as we know, as of this morning (Monday) there has not been a bid from Saudi Arabia. Having said that, bidders don’t have to announce that they’ve made an offer and Raine are keeping their cards very close to their chest.

“There was initial interest from Saudi Arabia, but we’ve not received any information that they’ve made a bit… yet.”

Q: What’s more likely – a full takeover or the Glazers taking partial funding and staying in control?

KS: “It all depends what the Glazer family want to do. They may well have different opinions about what the best outcome of this process is, but there’s so much pressure now from the fans for them to leave that you would think it would be difficult for them to turn down £5bn for a club that needs to have a lot of money spent on it going forward.”

Q: How realistic is it that the takeover won’t happen and the Glazers decide to stay?

KS: “Because United’s share price has doubled since the Glazers effectively put the club up for sale, you would think that now would be a good time to cash in and walk away with an incredible profit.

“Having said that, it’s ultimately their decision and while we’re being told the bidders won’t overpay, it also remains the case that the Glazers won’t sell United for less than what they think it’s worth.”

Q: Is there any chance of the Glazers dropping the price of the club?

KS: “No chance at all. United’s market cap on the New York Stock Exchange has doubled since November when the Glazers effectively put the club up for sale.

“The general consensus appears to be that they are looking for between £6bn-8bn and I don’t think anyone is going to pay that. It all depends on whether the Glazers are willing to sell for around £5bn.”

Q: Do you think Gary Neville could be right in saying the Glazers might prefer an investment rather than a sale?

KS: “Gary Neville could be right, but the Glazers appointed Raine to run this process and they have invited bids for the club.

“Two compelling offers have been made, but the Glazers need to decide what they want to do. A big section of United fans have been campaigning against them from even before they bought the club.

“The Glazers have to decide if now is the best time to sell, because, make no mistake, United needs a lot of money spending on it.

“They’ve got to decide whether they want to be front and centre of a rebuilding job that will take years.”

‘Sheikh Jassim would clear debts | No sign of Elon Musk interest’

Q: Will United’s debts be written off by the purchase of the club or will they still be there when new owners take over?

KS: “The Qataris are committed to wiping out all United’s debts. The Glazers bought United in a £790m leveraged buy-out in 2005 and the debt they loaded onto the club still stands at £515m.

“Don’t forget as well that the takeover has cost United more than £1bn in interest and dividends. As far as the Qataris are concerned, there would be no loans, no debts, no dividends and any profits would be reinvested in the club and local community.

“As far as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group are concerned, no debts would be loaded on to the club if they are successful in buying it.”

Q: Would Sir Jim Ratcliffe really have the funds to do all of this along with buying the club outright?

KS: “Sir Jim Ratcliffe is confident he has the funds in place to transform United on and off the pitch. Obviously, you would expect him to spend less on the club going forward than the Qataris, but throwing money at a problem isn’t necessarily always the best solution.

“That’s not suggesting the Qataris would just throw money at United. I think their vision for the club is more than just a quick fix.”

Q: Is Elon Musk really in the running or is this just another rumour?

KS: “Elon Musk has always been a wildcard in all this. There was a report in the Daily Mail last week saying he was considering making an offer, but he’s been uncharacteristically quiet on any interest and we haven’t heard anything about him making a bid.

“He claims to be a United fan and could easily access the funds to buy the club. But he said last week that he’s already got enough on his plate at the moment with Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX.”

‘Significant funds available for transfers | Young players the focus’

Q: Would a sale be likely before the summer transfer window?

KS: “That would be the ideal situation for everyone concerned. After only making loan signings in January, United are expected to be busy in the summer. Ideally, Erik ten Hag needs to know who’s going to be signing the cheques.”

Q: Can United fans expect big-money signings?

KS: “I don’t think either the Qataris or Sir Jim Ratcliffe would go crazy in the transfer market. There would more than likely be a shake-up in recruitment and significant funds would be made available to Erik ten Hag, but I wouldn’t expect to see the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar swapping Paris Saint-Germain for Manchester United any time soon.

“My information is that the focus would be on youth going forward. That’s not to say United won’t be signing players over a certain age, but the overall strategy would be to focus on buying the best young players.

“United will sign a striker in the summer, no matter who owns the club. That’s always been a priority.”