Man Utd takeover: Erik ten Hag ‘frustrated’ by delay as ‘challenging’ Jim Ratcliffe issue revealed

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is becoming frustrated by the delay in a potential takeover being completed at the club, according to reports.

According to The Telegraph, Ten Hag has shared his frustrations with the club as he eyes a number of transfer targets ahead of a busy summer at Old Trafford.

The Glazers announced their intention to seek outside investment or a full takover of the club in November, having been in full control at Old Trafford since 2005.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim are both in a bidding war to buy the club, although Ratcliffe’s bid will reportedly see the Glazers retain some shares while Sheikh Jassim wants a full takeover.

There are fears the continued uncertainty will hamper United’s transfer plans, with the likes of Mason Mount and Harry Kane said to be priority targets for the club.

Mount has one year remaining on his Chelsea deal and has been strongly linked with Liverpool as he appears unwilling to sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge. Ten Hag is confident he can pursuade the England international to join United.

Kane is also entering the final year of his contract but reports are Daniel Levy is ready to run the risk of losing the striker, who scored 30 Premier League goals this term, on a free next season rather than cash in this summer.

Meanwhile, football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes how Ratcliffe - who is said to be the ‘preferred bidder’ - stores his wealth could present an issue for his bid.

He told Football Insider: “Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s wealth has never been a distractor as far as his ability to fund a takeover is concerned.

“How his wealth is stored is a much more challenging issue – he’s unlikely to have £5-6billion of cash in a bank account given present rates of interest. Liquidising his assets will be much more tricky for him, should he choose to go down that particular route.

“If the acquisition is going to be done through INEOS, then I suspect that they will use a combination of existing cash resources while also going to the market to fund the purchase price.”