How Manchester United’s share price would be affected by Sheikh Jassim takeover vs Glazers no-sale

With the takeover process into its 10th month, there seems growing pessimism among Manchester United supporters that the Glazers will end up staying at the club.

It’s felt a long time November’s sale announcement and the end still isn't in sight. Some remain hopeful that front-running bidders Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe can still conclude a deal. Yet it seems even Sheikh Jassim is leaning towards the conclusion that the current owners may opt against a sale. That, says football finance expert Neill Wood, would see the club’s share price on the stock market tumble.

“It's football and it's business. There are very few listed clubs on the stock market and probably for very good reason,” says Wood, the founder of Football Finance Professionals, who is also a Visiting Fellow in Sports and Football Finance at Loughborough University.

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“A takeover announcement makes the share price increase generally and then react to the frontrunner. The Glazers have a huge impact on that. There is an obvious difference over the last 12 months pre and post November [sale announcement].

Wood adds: “What’s happened is people [traders] have started to buy [shares] at a relatively low price and it's started to shoot up with various things happening since. But I think if the status quo was to remain and the Glazers say the takeover isn't happening, then we’d see the share price plummet, that’s my view.

“If there is an alternative buyer, like Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who does not want to buy the whole club, I think you will see less volatile fluctuations rather than a downwards spiral. At the moment it’s sitting where it was in late