Manchester United are reaching point where takeover might affect Erik ten Hag's plans

When it comes to the Manchester United takeover there isn't really a void that needs speculation to fill it, but such is the drama around this soap opera that it's all anyone can talk about, especially during a two-week gap when club football has taken a backseat.

The chaos and the confusion around what comes next at Old Trafford is playing out in public but four months after the Glazer family put the club on the market, the end game is still unclear. Every move, every twist and every turn is analysed for clues.

What seems clear is that none of the bidders are going to reach the £6bn asking price the Glazers have put on the club, but for how much longer can they drag the process out? Is this Raine attempting to "hustle" for the Glazers, as one source put it? Playing on the ego of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe and trying to flush out any other potential bidders.

READ MORE: The Glazers couldn't get what they wanted with United takeover

Or is the very public process an attempt to show just how valuable this club is a message to financiers that they should consider offering attractive rates to the Glazers, who decide their value isn't met and stay in charge, seeking minority investment instead.

All of those options are being put forward by industry insiders, but it is something of a guessing game at the moment. The Glazers have left this process open-ended and that is why we have bids to buy the club and offers to invest. Nothing is off the table.

But for how much longer can the status quo persist? The next stage would, theoretically, be for Sheikh Jassim or Ratcliffe to be given preferred bidder status. That would allow an even deeper dive into the books but there's no guarantee a sale would go