REVEALED: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s £1.4bn deal for 25 per cent of Man United may not be finalised before the January transfer window opens after hope the club’s board would approve his investment TODAY

• Man United’s board meet on Thursday to ratify the proposals from Ratcliffe
• But the agreement is complex and an agreement could take ‘weeks’ to finalise 
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to take a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United may not be completed in time for the opening of the January transfer window.

It had been hoped that the investment, of around £1.4billion, would be ratified at a board meeting which is due to be held on Thursday afternoon.

However, lawyers are continuing to work on the finer details of what is a complex agreement, and insiders have warned that a final agreement could take ‘weeks’.

Should that be the case, New York Stock Exchange and Premier League requirements would make it unlikely that the British petrochemicals billionaire, who is expected to take control of football operations, would be in at Old Trafford for the turn of the year.

Mail Sport understands that United are not planning major moves in January. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s £1.4billion deal for a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United may not be completed in time for the opening of the January transfer window even if ratified on Thursday

It reduces the chances of Erik ten Hag being given any money to spend in the January window

United’s owner, the Glazer family (pictured are Avram, left, and Joel, right) are convening a board meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss Ratcliffe’s offer

Given compliance with financial fair play rules, the view within the club is that players – such as Harry Maguire – would need to be sold or depart on loan to free up space to bring in new faces.

Sources close to the bid team of Sheikh Jassim, Ratcliffe’s main rival who dramatically withdrew his offer for 100 per cent of the club over the weekend, say there is ‘zero chance’ that he will return to the table.

The meeting of the 12-strong board, which takes place this afternoon to allow those in the US to attend virtually, was pre-planned, with the intention to discuss financial matters.

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Source: Read Full Article