Ten Hag may miss out on 3 deals as Ratcliffe ‘preferred’ for Man Utd takeover

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reviews the West Ham game

The Glazers have selected Sir Jim Ratcliffe as their preferred bidder in the Manchester United takeover process, according to reports. And it could see Erik ten Hag miss out on four blockbuster transfer targets on the radar if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani became the club’s owner.

The Sun report that after three rounds of bidding across five months, Ratcliffe is set to win the race to buy United.

US merchant bank Raine Group, entrusted with overseeing the process, are set to confirm that Ratcliffe has entered an exclusivity period in negotiations.

It’s claimed that the founder of petrochemical giant INEOS’ arrival will spark an exodus in the Old Trafford boardroom, including chief executive Richard Arnold.

But while four siblings will also remove ties with United, Joel and Avram Glazer are expected to retain around a 20 per cent stake.

The report added that the American brothers weren’t keen on offloading the full club to Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.

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The Glazers’ continued connection to United will prove unpopular among fans who have protested against their ownership for 18 years.

And Sheikh Jassim’s snub could come as a blow to Ten Hag, too, if previous transfer speculation is anything to go by.

At the end of April, The Sun reported that Sheikh Jassim was prepared to fund a stunning swoop for wantaway PSG forward Neymar to make a statement this summer.

And at the dawn of May, BILD claimed that he had pinpointed Kylian Mbappe, Kingsley Coman and Eduardo Camavinga as other stellar targets.

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The Qatari’s bid, led by his charity, the Nine Two Foundation, would make United one of the most financially powerful clubs in the world based on ownership wealth alone.

But boyhood United fan Ratcliffe looks to be in pole position to take the helm in M16 with a stake worth just over 50 per cent.

While Joel and Avram Glazer will keep their shares at the start of the tenure, there is reportedly an agreement in place that would force them to hand the remaining control to Ratcliffe.

The British billionaire’s intentions have been significantly more private than Sheikh Jassim’s, so potential transfer plans under his watch remain to be seen.

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