Manchester United fans told reason for takeover delay amid Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe interest

Manchester United supporters have been told they were sold a 'red herring' when it was suggested the takeover could be completed quickly, according to a sports finance expert.

In November, the Glazers announced they would be seeking alternative investment in the club with the prospect of a full sale on the cards. Progress has slowed since this announcement though with United currently no closer to resolving the takeover situation.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the two frontrunners to takeover the club with the former believed to be in the driving seat. Both offers are believed to be in the region of £5bn with some financial experts claiming this is a vast overpayment.

However, according to commercial and finance sports expert, Professor Rob Wilson, United's potential off the pitch is the reason why the two contenders are willing to bid so high. Speaking to Saxo, Professor Wilson said: "The reason someone would want to buy Manchester United is because it’s probably one of the most financially successful sport properties on the planet.

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"If you look at the UFC merger, that puts them in the region of $20billion in terms of valuation. If you start factoring in Manchester United’s global following, I don’t think it’s beyond reason if they produce success, that in the next 10 years we could see a $10billion valuation go on to United.

"The key thing with the Glazer ownership is the quiddity of the business, because of the way they have leveraged part of the club, which creates quiddity and naturally makes it harder for them to compete in the transfer market to the extent fans would want them to give their revenue. Which