Man Utd takeover: New details as Sir Jim Ratcliffe deal faces fresh Christmas delay plus manager latest

There remains an outside chance that Manchester United’s partial takeover will be completed before Christmas, but it’s growing increasingly likely that an agreement between the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe won't be announced until the new year.

The Ineos lead shareholder is set to purchase 25 percent of the club’s shares, with those involved in the process working to complete the final details as quickly as possible. It was hoped in mid-November that arrangements would be announced soon, but the long-running saga now looks likely to drag into January.

ManchesterWorld understands that if a deal is not in place by Thursday, it is unlikely that an announcement will be made over the Christmas period.

Part of that is due to the complex nature of such a deal. Ratcliffe and his Ineos delegation are set to become minority investors but will take the reins of United’s football operations, with the Glazers overseeing commercial dealings. Consequently, it’s believed minor issues surrounding decision-making scenarios have emerged and may need to be ironed out before anything is officially announced.

But there is no doubt in both the United and Ineos camps that an agreement will be reached when the mountain of paperwork has finally been sorted. Once an agreement is in place with the Glazer family - who own around 69 percent of shares - Ratcliffe is then expected to make an official offer to other minority investors, including owners of the less valuable Class A shares.

Once an agreement has been announced, the Premier League must then ratify the deal, with the Owners’ and Directors’ Test expected to take around six to eight weeks to be completed. At that stage, Ratcliffe will officially become a minority owner, but the hold up means that Inoes will have no impact on United’s January transfer plans.

In the meantime, United face West Ham United, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest over the festive period, before an FA Cup clash against Wigan Athletic on 8 January. Erik ten Hag eased some of the pressure with a hard-fought draw at Anfield on Sunday, following reports last week that Graham Potter could be in line to replace the Dutchman.

ManchesterWorld understands that any suggestions the ex-Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion boss is being groomed to take over at Old Trafford are wide of the mark.