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Kieran Maguire can't believe Man United takeover twist - 'there's a huge downside'
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid to buy an initial 25 percent stake in Man United ‘doesn’t make any logical sense’.
That is the opinion of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about Ratcliffe becoming the frontrunner to purchase the Red Devils.
As revealed by BBC Sport, Sheikh Jassim has withdrawn from the takeover process at Man United, leaving Ratcliffe as the favourite to buy the club.
While Qatar wanted to buy 100 percent of United’s shares, Ratcliffe’s latest bid is for an initial 25 percent stake.
As revealed by Football Insider, Ratcliffe’s latest proposal would not see him take majority control at Old Trafford until 2026.
Maguire was left confused at Ratcliffe’s latest offer, suggesting it makes no sense for the 70-year-old to delay taking control.
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“The Glazers are no doubt very greedy and they want to maximise their return,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“But we have to be cautious when referring to the Glazers as if they have a hive mind.
“In reality, there are significantly different views – Darcy has got no interest in football and just happens to have inherited this windfall.
“Meanwhile, Avram and Joel are very keen to have a more hands-on approach, so in terms of the price, they’re probably asking for too much as they don’t need to sell.
“They’re still hoping that somebody will be smoked out to put in a higher bid.
“The 25 percent stake deal with Jim Ratcliffe doesn’t make any logical sense.
“He’s not a young man so why make yourself wait until 2026?
“It will take him a period of time to reshape the club in his vision so it makes no sense.
“There’s also a huge downside in the sense that if he’s only going to acquire a 25 percent stake and the Glazers are looking for an exit route in a few years, the one thing that they’re not going to do is to invest in Old Trafford.“
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