Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim twist as Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'questions' Glazers' £70m move

Manchester United’s board members will not vote on Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 percent offer to buy the club this week, according to reports.

A board meeting will still be held on Thursday and it was suggested in several quarters that the six Glazer siblings, along with six others who hold seats on the board, would vote on whether to accept Ratcliffe’s bid. The British billionaire has progressed with his offer after Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani withdrew from the race at the weekend.

Ratcliffe’s offer for 25 percent includes the Ineos owner taking charge of the football operations at Old Trafford, with Glazers still overseeing the non-football sectors, including the commercial wing of the club.

Despite the rapid change in recent days, the Telegraph claims that Ratcliffe’s proposal will not be approved on Thursday and could take up to a fortnight to be ratified, with the final details still to be thrashed out.

The same outlet also states that those close to the bidding process are ‘sceptical’ of Sheikh Jassim’s decision to withdraw from the race, despite the Qatari’s delegation insisting that is indeed the case.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that Ratcliffe questioned United’s decision to sign Casemiro on such lucrative terms in the summer of 2022, when he joined from Real Madrid. The midfielder signed 14 months ago for a fee of of up to £70m and was handed a four-year deal at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe felt the decision wasn’t ‘prudent’ and described it as ‘questionable recruitment’. The prospective new minority owner made those remarks in March 2022 when he visited Old Trafford and United’s Carrington training ground to assess the club’s infrastructure. CEO Richard Arnold, and John Murtough, United’s football director, were both in attendance, and the pair are reportedly among those who could be replaced as part of an Ineos overhaul.