The big question on manchester united, glazers ownership and transfer issues has just been answered

From whence does the £1.3 billion originate?

Is someone borrowing it? If so, who will bear the cost of returning it?

How long till they own the entire club? What time will the Glazers depart? Are they planning to go for sure?

What part do Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, Ratcliffe’s advisors, play in this deal? What is their current income? Who is covering their costs?

What is the intended use of the funds? With the exception of what will go to the owners of A shares that are traded on the NYSE, is everything going to the Glazers?

What will happen to United’s debt, which stood at £969 million as of March?

What plans do they have to renovate the training ground and Old Trafford?

Are INEOS using their sports investments to greenwash their image as an operator of polluting industries?

What will happen to Nice and Lausanne – the other clubs owned by INEOS?

Ratcliffe has met Erik ten Hag. How much faith does he have in the manager? Will money be made available to strengthen the squad?

What will Dave Brailsford’s role be at United?

Will there be a new sporting director?

Which executives will be staying and who will be going?

One person who has been closely monitoring the proceedings informed Sky Sports News:

“This is completely unbelievable. The Glazers’ estimate is ridiculously unrealistic. They were offered nearly twice the market capitalization by Sheikh Jassim. He was a cash buyer who promised to pay off all of their debts, preventing any further debt accumulation, and would provide an additional £1.4 billion towards the stadium and the team.

“The Glazers still felt that wasn’t enough. After nearly a year, all that’s left is someone who will overpay for a quarter of the club. After a year, there is just one bidder, and he can only stump for what is likely the greatest and most illustrious football team on the planet.

“It’s a joke. If they just wanted to sell a minority stake, they could have done it privately last November. The market dictates what United are worth, not the Glazers or Raine. Remember when there were apparently eight serious bidders? All along there has only been one bidder for 100 per cent of the club so why should he bid against himself?

“Ratcliffe is overpaying and any valuation higher than Sheikh Jassim is sheer lunacy.

“If he can only afford to buy 25 per cent to start with, who is going to pay for the new stadium? Who is going to fix the leaking roof? Who is going to pay for the new training centre and new players and community projects?

“United can’t keep up with Brighton these days, never mind Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. And don’t even think about the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

“And if they go with Ratcliffe, they get another shareholder. How does that help decision-making? Where is the new vision and the new ambition? Where is the new engagement with the fans? The same owners will be intact and what guarantee is there that the Glazers will sell more of their shares in the future? What guarantee is there that Ratcliffe will have the money to get them out? Where is the money that is needed to take them up to Brighton’s level going to come from?

“Sheikh Jassim did Al he could to bridge the gap between reality and lunacy on valuation. He did his best.”

News chief reporter skky sport: Kaveh Solhekol:

“There will be money made available for Ten Hag to improve the squad because this is Manchester United were talking about. Will it be on the same level as what Sheikh Jassim was willing to provide? I don’t think so.

“Nice’s net spend over the past three seasons has been around £100m so that shows Ratcliffe knows how important it is to invest in talent if you want to succeed on the pitch.”

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“I can’t speak on behalf of Erik ten Hag but my sense is he feels there are more questions than answers at the moment. Like all football managers, he wants absolute clarity and he wants to make sure that everything is in place for him to make United as successful as possible.

“He wants to know how this is all going to work because there isn’t another big club in the world that has been successful with a minority shareholder being in charge of all footballing operations.

“At the time of change, everybody in football always thinks bout their own positions and I’m sure Ten Hag is thinking what this means for him going forward.”

Sheikh Jassim’s bid to take over Manchester United started on the wrong foot after he angered the Glazers by saying he wanted to return the club to “former glories”, according to the Daily Mail.

The report claims the Qatari bid to buy Man Utd, one many thought would be successful, never recovered after the statement was made following initial offers.

“To say that comment did not go down well with the Glazers would be an understatement,” it adds.

The Raine Group, the American merchant bank overseeing the talks for Man Utd, warned bidders to keep their mouths shut in what was interpreted as a “direct shot” at the Qataris.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the only other serious bidder, appears to be on the verge of finalising a deal to take 25 per cent of the club.

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“INEOS have experience of major infrastructure projects, so there’s no reason to doubt the fact they have the experience and expertise to redevelop the stadium and the training ground.

“As ever, the big question is where the money is going to come from. Will it be their own money or will they be borrowing to finance the works? And if they are borrowing money, who will be responsible for paying back those debts?”

French football expert Jonathan Johnson explains how Nice have fared under Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s ownership.

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“I’m not sure the Glazers are thinking about what’s best for United. At the end of the day, they own the club and it’s up to them what they do with it.

“They want to make as much money from this deal as possible and they will make more money out of Ratcliffe than Sheikh Jassim.

“That’s not to say the Glazers haven’t been impressed by Ratcliffe and his plans for United. And obviously, in the short term, they believe Ratcliffe is someone they can work with as business partners.”

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“The latest information I have as far as the Qataris are concerned, is that they are definitely out. They think the deal with Ratcliffe is all done now and they believe Ratcliffe will get the board support he needs on Thursday.

“Lots of other people have been asking whether Sheikh Jassim could try to buy a different club. We’ve been told that’s not something he’s considering at the moment. We’re told he’s a United fan and that’s why he wanted United. It’s fair to say he’s been offered lots of other clubs, but he’s never shown any interest in them.”

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“Ratcliffe will want to bring his own people in and it’s almost certain that Sir Dave Brailsford will play a key role at United going forward.

“Brailsford is director of sport at INEOS and there could be a key role as well for Jean-Claude Blanc, who is the chief executive of the sports division at INEOS. Before that, he was director general of PSG, and chairman and CEO at Juventus.

“Both Blanc and Brailsford were with Ratcliffe when he visited Old Trafford and Carrington in March.”

Kaveh Solhekol questions whether the Glazer family ever wanted to sell Manchester United with Sir Jim Ratcliffe close to agreeing a deal for 25 per cent of the club.

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“Ratcliffe wouldn’t be spending so much time and money if he didn’t feel he could make a real difference on and off the pitch. He’s an extremely successful businessman but it’s fair to say his investments in sport haven’t always paid off.

“If we go by what he’s done at Nice, you’d have to say that the jury is out on whether he can really get United back to the same level as clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool.”

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“The most important thing that Ratcliffe and INEOS need to provide information about is what is going to happen to United’s debt. In March, the total debt was £969m. The majority of that relates to the money the Glazers borrowed to buy United 18 years ago.

“United were debt-free before the Glazers arrived, and their ownership has cost United £1.5bn in interest, dividends, and bank charges. Paying off what are effectively the Glazers’ debts has been a major drain on United’s finances. At a time when other owners have been putting major investments into their clubs, United’s ownership model has seen them lose around £50m a year.

“So it’s imperative for Ratcliffe to explain what is going to happen to this massive debt burden. It’s a major reason why United find themselves in the position they’re in at the moment.”