Manchester United bidder Thomas Zilliacus has criticized the prolonged sale of the club and directed his comments towards the Glazer family.
Zilliacus entered the race to acquire United in March and proposed a model of fan ownership at Old Trafford if his bid succeeded.
His plan involved purchasing the club through his investment firm, XXI Century Capital, and issuing affordable shares to supporters, granting them a say in the club’s operations.
Zilliacus was the third individual to express interest in purchasing the Premier League club outright, following Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a British billionaire, and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, a Qatari banker.
However, the Finnish billionaire withdrew from the process in April, declining to participate in a third round of bidding. The Glazer family rejected the subsequent offers from Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim, with the latter making a final bid for United at the last minute.
The offers made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim are currently being reviewed by Raine, the banking group responsible for overseeing the sale on behalf of the Glazer family.
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The sale process has now entered its seventh month since the club was initially put up for sale. It is anticipated that the takeover will not be finalized before the start of the upcoming season, which commences on August 12.
The prolonged sale has raised concerns regarding its potential impact on United’s transfer activities during the summer. In response to the handling of the sale, Thomas Zilliacus has expressed his criticism on Twitter, describing it as “farcical.”
He said: “How many more months shall we read about United takeover news? This is already the most farcical club takeover in history. Never seen anyone so unable to make a decision.”
How many more months shall we read about United takeover news? This is already the most farcical club takeover in history. Never seen anyone so unable to make a decision. #manchesterunited #GlazersOut #UnitedWeStand #xxicenturyfootballcapital pic.twitter.com/hylvVf8Vl5
— Thomas Zilliacus (@TZilliacus) June 25, 2023
There is increasing speculation that Sheikh Jassim’s final offer for United has been accepted. The offer is reported to be approximately $6.5 billion (£5.2 billion), and an additional $1 billion (around £800 million) of investment in the club has also been promised.
However, it should be noted that exclusivity has not yet been granted to Sheikh Jassim by the Raine group.
Talks are still ongoing with all interested parties involved. However, we firmly believe that the Qatari banker would emerge victorious in this lengthy takeover saga.
