Premier League football returns this weekend, but uncertainty about the Manchester United takeover process remains following the final international break of the season.
Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus continues to make up for lost time by making the case at length for the bid XXI Century Capital submitted to Raine on deadline day, later revising with exact figures following the extension afforded to all bidders. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS and the Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani-fronted Nine Two Foundation followed suit. Both have remained tight-lipped in the week since as Raine and the Glazer family evaluate the proposals received from interested parties.
Here are the latest United takeover headlines.
READ MORE: Takeover bidder takes shot at Glazers in cryptic messages
Old Trafford preference revealed
Manchester United takeover bidder Thomas Zilliacus has made clear it would be his preference to modernise Old Trafford rather than build a new stadium.
The Finnish entrepreneur is one of three publicly known bidders to have submitted offers to acquire United. Zilliacus has experience in football, having previously been chairman in his homeland with capital club HJK Helsinki and also managed Singaporean side Geylang International.
Despite only joining Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani in the bidding late on, the 69-year-old has been vocal about various aspects of what ownership under his XXI Century Capital investment firm would look like. The boyhood United supporter has now addressed redeveloping or replacing Old Trafford.
Zilliacus' cryptic clues
Manchester United takeover bidder Thomas Zilliacus has taken aim at the Glazers for appearing to miss an 'additional revenue' opportunity - but failed to expand on what it is.
Zilliacus made his comments after United's financial results were released on Thursday. In the figures over a three-month period to December 31, 2022, United posted a net profit of £6.3m.
However, revenue compared to the previous year was down 10 per cent, to £167.3m. This is mainly due to United's failure to qualify for this season's Champions League.
Share price slumps
Manchester United plc (MANU) stock has decreased in price by around five per cent this week as uncertainty surrounds the next stage of the club's takeover process.
After reaching a month-long high at over $25 on Wednesday, 22 March, which was the date of Raine's last deadline for official offers to acquire United, shares have not exceeded $23 after markets opened on Monday to the price plummeting from $23.50 to as low as $22 in the space of three-and-a-half hours.
The price recovered since then, culminating in stock reaching the cusp of $23 on Friday morning before dropping to a nadir of $22.17 within two hours. With such fluctuations, United stock will likely be down on the previous price when markets close for the weekend.
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