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The Manchester United takeover process has dragged on and on without an end in sight but it shouldn’t damage the club’s prospects in the transfer market, if recent reports are to be believed.
The Mirror reports that Erik ten Hag has been informed by the Glazers he will have “all the financial firepower he needs” despite the uncertainty over club ownership.
It states that the Glazers were initially reluctant to sanction the outlay in the region of £170 million, but have grown convinced that the return on the investment will be worth it.
That is because they don’t want the club valuation to drop by missing out on the UEFA Champions League again and lag behind the likes of Manchester City just a season after looking like they were on the right path.
If the reports are true, it would come as music to the ears of United fans and Ten Hag.
Haggling has been the theme of this window for United, be it walking away from Mason Mount over £5 million, or trying to get Andre Onana’s fee down by a few million.
Furthermore, the club was recently fined €300,000 for a minor Financial Fair Play breach and club bosses have been preaching frugality ever since United overshot their budget last summer.
So far, if Onana’s transfer goes through, United will have spent close to £100 million without any significant sales.
The restrictive transfer budget means the club has to sell to buy and some outgoings are likely if United were to buy more players.
In such a scenario, any additional Glazer backing could clear up the clouds as Ten Hag goes chasing after a world-class striker.
United are in danger of getting squeezed out of the Harry Kane sweepstakes due to the lack of budget but if these reports are true, they might go back in for him.
Even if Kane goes abroad, negotiations with Atalanta will for Rasmus Hojlund will be much smoother if United didn’t have to count every penny before spending.
It remains to be seen if the infamously penny-pinching Glazers have changed their tune or if it is just another case of media posturing in a takeover process that has become a public saga.
