Manchester United are continuing attempts to agree new contracts with David de Gea and Marcus Rashford despite the uncertain ownership situation around the club.
The deadline for second bids to buy the club initially passed at 9pm last night, but that timeframe has now been extended with the Qatar bid of Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS group working on new offers.
Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe are both interested in a deal to buy the club from the Glazer family, but the possibility of the current United owners opting to stay in control, with fresh capital being offered up by a financial institution or hedge fund, hasn't been ruled out.
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The situation has led to some uncertainty over United's future heading into the summer. Figures representing Sheikh Jassim and a delegation from Ratcliffe's INEOS group visited Old Trafford and Carrington last week for a peak under the hood of the club, which included meetings with key decision-makers and an insight into the current financial situation at United.
While the potential for a takeover at United reaches its most important stage, the club are continuing to hold talks over new contracts, with De Gea and Rashford considered the most pressing cases.
De Gea's existing deal expires in three months and the 32-year-old could leave on a free transfer if there is no agreement, although United retain an option on his current contract. They have currently decided against exercising that, with the intention of agreeing a longer extension which would see De Gea taking a drop on his £375,000-a-week wages. The Spaniard has consistently indicated he wants to stay at Old Trafford for the rest of his career.
United did take the option on Rashford's contract, keeping him at the club until June 2024. But there is a pressing need to negotiate a longer deal with the 25-year-old, who has scored 27 goals this season and continues to attract covetous glances from Paris Saint-Germain.
There had been an expectation that new deals might have been signed by now in at least one of those cases, but it is understood talks are progressing despite the delicate stage of the takeover.
The nature of the recent visits to the club from interested parties might well have delayed negotiations, however. Senior United figures had been kept in the dark when the Glazer family issued a statement in November that confirmed they had instructed The Raine Group to seek offers for the club.
But those working on the ground at Old Trafford, including chief executive Richard Arnold and chief operating officer Collette Roche, have become involved during recent visits.
United did take the option on the contracts of Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Fred, keeping them tied down until the end of next season, but agreeing further extensions is considered less of a priority than Rashford at the moment.
Speaking last month, Ten Hag said: "Of course [Rashford's new contract] is a priority. We are working on that, just sit and wait, but in the background we work hard. Of course [we have to keep him]."
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