The Manchester United takeover process has stalled, more than a week after the deadline for final bids passed.
Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the frontrunners to buy out the Glazers. But they are still waiting to hear back from the Raine Group, who are running the takeover process, about their latest offers.
Doubts are increasing that the Glazers will actually sell United, with the club now in a state of limbo. The deadline for a sale has been pushed back several times, with boss Erik ten Hag now seeing his summer transfer plans affected as the budget is frozen.
Takeover aside, United take on West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday evening. Here are the teams...
West Ham: Fabianski; Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek, Paqueta; Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio.
Man Utd: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Malacia; Eriksen, Casemiro, Fernandes; Antony, Weghorst, Rashford.
22:11Darren Lewis
They are crumbling.
From a position of strength and top-four near-certainty, Manchester United are falling apart. Liverpool, thundering down the rails smelling blood and Champions League football, now know that they are there for the taking.
Regardless of what happens in the remaining weeks of this season, Said Benrahma’s winner and the surrender that followed here summed up the brutal nature of the clearcut overhaul that Erik ten Hag must undertake this summer.
It wasn’t just De Gea’s poor reactions for the decisive, 27th-minute strike. Or the fact that West Ham would have had a second had the officials not refused to award them a penalty for Victor Lindelof’s handball.
It was everything.
Click here to read more from Darren Lewis...
21:32Nathan Ridley
David de Gea gifted West Ham a vital three points in their fight for Premier League survival - and plunged Manchester United's Champions League hopes in jeopardy.
After an all-round abject display - summed up by De Gea's poor error in the 27th minute, allowing Said Benrahma's strike to squirm in - United are just one point ahead of arch-rivals Liverpool in the top-four race after their narrow win against Brentford.
West Ham, meanwhile, moved up to 15th with the deserved 1-0 win - even if the only goal of the game was rather fortuitous. Driven by Declan Rice in midfield, David Moyes' men are close to securing their place in the top flight next season ahead of their Europa Conference League semi-final clash with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
Click here to read more...
20:57KEY EVENT
West Ham hold on for the win!
David Moyes would've been fuming if Man Utd had equalised considering the Victor Lindelof decision.
Liverpool are now just a point behind Man Utd in fourth having played a game more.
The top-four race is on!
20:38Tom Blow
West Ham players were bemused when Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof was not penalised for handling the ball in the box during Sunday's game at the London Stadium.
Lindelof appeared to control the ball with his right hand and arm on the stroke of half-time, with the score 1-0 to the Hammers. West Ham players appealed to referee Peter Bankes, but the incident was not even reviewed by VAR official Stuart Attwell.
The bizarre decision is the latest refereeing blunder in the Premier League this season. Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb has already apologised to a number of clubs since he was appointed to his current role last August.
Click here to read the full story...
20:11Tom Blow
Can Man Utd find an equaliser?
Stay tuned!
19:51Tom Blow
West Ham have a one-goal advantage at the London Stadium... but should they have doubled it just before the break?
Victor Lindelof was fortunate not to be penalised after appearing to handle the ball in the box.
A controversial call...
Stay tuned for the second half!
19:30KEY EVENT
Oh David...
De Gea has let in a howler at the London Stadium!
The goalkeeper should've saved Said Benrahma's tame long-range effort.
Liverpool fans will be happy...
19:18Tom Blow
We're still waiting for the opening goal at the London Stadium.
Stay tuned...
Image:
Getty Images)19:12Tom Blow
Wout Weghorst has returned to Man Utd's starting XI ahead of Anthony Martial.
He's yet to score for Erik ten Hag's side in the Premier League.
Will he end his drought tonight? Let us know in the comments below!
19:10Tom Blow
It's nearly 10 years since David Moyes became Manchester United manager.
He was sacked within a year of his appointment and is now in charge of West Ham.
Can Moyes and his team pull off a shock this evening?
The Hammers have started brightly...
19:01Tom Blow
We're about to start at the London Stadium!
Stay tuned to find out how the game unfolds...
18:46Tom Blow
Today's game is available to watch on BT Sport 1.
Kick-off is at 7pm.
18:33KEY EVENT
Here are the team's for West Ham vs Man Utd...
West Ham: Fabianski; Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek, Paqueta; Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio.
Man Utd: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Malacia; Eriksen, Casemiro, Fernandes; Antony, Weghorst, Rashford.
18:05Tom Victor
Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Victor Osimhen, with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis insisting the striker is not for sale.
"I will not sell Victor Osimhen this summer - no way!" De Laurentiis told Rai Sport (via Goal). The striker, who joined from Lille in 2020 and has scored 55 times in just 96 appearances for the Partenopei.
17:34Nathan Ridley
Manchester United are ready to fork out £53million to land Napoli defender Kim Min-jae, who could replace Harry Maguire.
Maguire, 30, is now Erik ten Hag's fifth-choice centre-back, spending the majority of this season watching from the bench as his team-mates shine. Despite Ten Hag publicly offering his backing to the England international, there are suggestions from Old Trafford that United would be open to selling Maguire this summer and recouping some of the £80m they paid Leicester for him in 2019.
But in that case, the Red Devils would almost certainly want to recruit a new centre-back to offset Maguire's departure, and that's where Kim comes in. According to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, United would be willing to stump up the €60m (£53m) required to trigger the South Korean's release clause.
Click here to read more...
17:03Steve Bates
Manchester United are in chaos - and it’s threatening to undermine Erik ten Hag’s impressive first season at Old Trafford.
Protracted and confusing takeover talks have left United in a worrying vacuum at a crucial stage of the season. And Dutch sources close to the 53-year-old boss say Ten Hag is “concerned” that what should be a positive moment for the club could be derailed by the uncertainty caused by the club’s sale.
Having landed the Carabao Cup, booked an FA Cup Final with cross-town rivals Manchester City and made Champions League football next season a real possibility, Ten Hag wanted to push that momentum into the summer.
Yet leading transfer targets like Tottenham’s Harry Kane, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Inter Milan frontman Lautaro Martinez and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber are now all on the back-burner while rival bidders including Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim compete for control of United.
Those names could even be replaced by even bigger stars with Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe said to be a high-priority signing for the Qatari bidders if they succeed over billionaire United fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe. But while the club’s future is unresolved United are on the back foot and in turmoil compared with some rivals as the season draws to a close.
And that’s left Ten Hag in limbo. With the takeover ongoing, Mirror Football can reveal United have put a budget freeze in place preventing any recruitment of external consultants. And that’s the tip of the iceberg with the club hitting the pause button in many areas of the business.
Click here to read the full story...
15:50Matthew Cooper
Barcelona are set to ask Frenkie de Jong to take another wage cut as they look to free up funds to re-sign Lionel Messi.
Mirror Football exclusively revealed last month that Messi was set to leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of the season and Barcelona are keen to bring him back. The club's vice-president Rafa Yuste recently revealed they have already made contact with Messi's entourage and are hopeful he will return to Barcelona.
"Leo and his family know the affection we have for them," Yuste said. "I participated in the [contract] negotiations that in the end did not come to fruition unfortunately and I still have that thorn in my side. Of course I would love to see him return and I am sure that many fans share my feeling.
Find the full story HERE.
14:45Josh O'Brien
Manchester United take on West Ham United in the Premier League - with the late Sunday night kick-off a new one for fans to experience.
United need to bounce back to winning ways following their midweek loss to Brighton and will have a little extra time to prepare, with the match kicking off at 7pm on Sunday evening. The time slot is new for the league, with non-festive fixtures normally not kicking off past 4:30pm on a Sunday.
However, with the King's Coronation also taking place in the capital this weekend and with a Bank Holiday on Monday, the fixture is something of a one-off. There are also other fixtures affected by the Coronation, with Manchester City's match against Leeds on Saturday being televised in the Saturday 3pm slot - meanwhile, all Championship and League Two fixtures have been moved to Monday.
Click here to read the full story.
13:43Tom Victor
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has given Erik ten Hag a list of three names to target if the Red Devils boss misses out on Harry Kane.
“There are not many alternatives to Kane for Man Utd," Saha told DAZN Bet. "Victor Osimhen is an obvious one at the moment, though, he’s scoring a lot of goals for Napoli. Very fit, very strong and agile. But it may take him more time to adapt.
“There is a young boy in Hojlund at Atalanta. But no one offers the guarantees like Kane does.”
Read Saha's comments in full HERE.
12:45Jacob Leeks
Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham has pinned the blame for Harry Maguire 's struggles on his team-mates amid another dire season for the centre-back.
Maguire slipped behind Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and even Luke Shaw in the pecking order. He has started just seven Premier League games under Erik ten Hag this term and has only played four minutes of football in the last three matches.
The £80million fee it took the Red Devils to buy Maguire from Leicester four years ago increasingly looks to be a major error. Ten Hag has made his unhappiness with the England international clear over the course of the season.
Click here to read the full story.
12:18Dan Marsh
Manchester has been the bedrock of domestic success during the Premier League era: initially for Manchester United and, more recently, for Manchester City.
But just a few miles down the road from their prominent neighbours, Stockport County are on the rise again after a decade of decline.
The Hatters' recent history doesn't make for pleasant reading; a club with a proud and rich heritage - who were playing in the Championship as recently as 2002 - sunk as low as the sixth tier back in 2013.
The arrival of local businessman Mark Stott in 2020 has proven to be the catalyst for one the most remarkable comeback stories in recent memory, though.
After beating Wrexham to clinch National League title on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign, Stockport are now potentially just a game away from sealing back-to-back promotions and a return to League One for the first time since 2010.
Click here to read the full story.
11:47Jacob Leeks
Manchester United's protracted takeover situation continues to drag on and manager Erik ten Hag has been left concerned by the uncertainty.
Mirror Football understands that Ten Hag has sought answers on the situation from chief executive Richard Arnold, who replaced Ed Woodward last February. However, Arnold has been unable to provide total clarity, with his own role potentially in jeopardy depending on who buys the club.
Ten Hag is keen to strengthen his squad this summer with United currently fourth in the Premier League and hoping to secure a spot in next season's Champions League. The likes of Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen, Lautaro Martinez and Jurrien Timber are among United's top targets.
Click here to read the full story.
11:04Jacob Leeks
Juventus are ready to hand Mason Greenwood a career lifeline by taking him off Manchester United's hands in the summer transfer window.
Greenwood has not played for United since January 2022 and he remains away from Erik ten Hag's squad. Charges of attempted rape and assault against Greenwood were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in February, though United are carrying out their own investigation.
While that takes place, Greenwood has been told to stay away from the club's Carrington training ground. It has now been claimed that the Red Devils would likely be willing to allow him to leave in the summer window in order to avoid disrupting Ten Hag's squad.
Click here to read the full story.
10:05Jacob Leeks
Erik ten Hag has called on his side to step up their performance levels ahead of United's clash with West Ham.
“You need so much energy, you need a good game-plan and, every game, you have to go again You can’t do it at 99 per cent. You have to do it at 100 per cent," he said.
“You have to do it over the full 95 minutes and that’s why we like it. Top players like it, to have huge challenges, but that costs energy. That’s our job, that’s our responsibility. We have to take it and we lay this [defeat at Brighton] aside. On Sunday, we go again and I’m sure we will be there.”
09:31Jacob Leeks
Former Manchester United coach Eric Steele has urged Erik ten Hag to keep David de Gea as his first-choice goalkeeper next season.
"I wouldn’t want him to be lost to Manchester United and the Premier League. Hopefully they will get this deal sorted and he stays part of the Ten Hag era," Steele told the Daily Mail.
"It’s down to David and the club. I think it’s about time it was sorted. We keep hearing it’s going to be resolved but we’re in May now. His contract runs out at the end of June. It would be nice to have an announcement to say which way it’s going.
"All I can say is that I would be very saddened to lose David after the 12 years he’s given."
09:01Jacob Leeks
Erik ten Hag has blasted this season's fixture schedule as United prepare for the final month of their campaign.
“It has already had an impact on the whole season and we are doing quite well in the schedule – not quite well, but really well,” he said.
“We have a big disadvantage against others. West Ham United is a team that, I think, has a worse schedule than we [do] but we showed all season already that we can deal with that. We are physically and mentally very strong.”
08:19KEY EVENT
Manchester United are in chaos - and it’s threatening to undermine Erik ten Hag’s impressive first season at Old Trafford.
Protracted and confusing takeover talks have left United in a worrying vacuum at a crucial stage of the season. And Dutch sources close to the 53-year-old boss say Ten Hag is “concerned” that what should be a positive moment for the club could be derailed by the uncertainty caused by the club’s sale.
Having landed the Carabao Cup, booked an FA Cup Final with cross-town rivals Manchester City and made Champions League football next season a real possibility, Ten Hag wanted to push that momentum into the summer.
Click here to read the full story.
07:49Jacob Leeks
Manchester United take on West Ham United in the Premier League - with the late Sunday night kick-off a new one for fans to experience.
United need to bounce back to winning ways following their midweek loss to Brighton and will have a little extra time to prepare, with the match kicking off at 7pm on Sunday evening. The time slot is new for the league, with non-festive fixtures normally not kicking off past 4:30pm on a Sunday.
However, with the King's Coronation also taking place in the capital this weekend and with a Bank Holiday on Monday, the fixture is something of a one-off. There are also other fixtures affected by the Coronation, with Manchester City's match against Leeds on Saturday being televised in the Saturday 3pm slot - meanwhile, all Championship and League Two fixtures have been moved to Monday.
Click here to read the full story.
07:16KEY EVENT
Richard Keys believes Manchester United are not "any better" under Erik ten Hag than his predecessors of the last decade.
United have endured a turbulent spell since iconic manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May 2013. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick have all failed to win the Premier League title as United boss during that time.
Ten Hag was appointed by the Red Devils a year ago and is enjoying a solid first season in charge, with the team set to qualify for the Champions League. The Dutchman has been praised for his work at Old Trafford by fans, but TV presenter Keys is yet to be convinced.
Click here to read the full story.
06:05Jacob Leeks
Good morning and welcome to Mirror Football's live blog for all the latest Manchester United takeover news.
