Manchester United fans greeted co-chairman Avram Glazer with chants of “sell the club!” as he arrived at the MetLife Stadium.
After games against Leeds and Lyon, Erik ten Hag’s side is taking on rivals Arsenal in a lucrative New Jersey friendly, and Glazer, 62, is present for the fixture.
On Thursday, he and his wife Jill met with Ten Hag prior to watching United’s training session at Pingry School and had a brief conversation.
Avram Glazer entering the stadium pic.twitter.com/05uGpoAnGU
— Aryan (@aryan3774) July 22, 2023
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner’s appearances at Old Trafford have been a rarity, but he attended three United games at the stadium last season – two men’s cup finals, as well as the women’s FA Cup final where the Red Devils lost 1-0 to Chelsea.
With the club’s takeover situation continuing to rumble on, Glazer received a hostile reception upon his arrival this evening as United fans booed, chanted, and heckled him.
The Glazer family said they would “explore strategic alternatives” eight months ago but there has been a lack of movement on the takeover front despite bids from two parties in Sheikh Jassim and Jim Ratcliffe of INEOS.
United have made two signings so far this summer, bringing in Mason Mount and Andre Onana for a combined total of around £100 million. However, there is a feeling that the slow progress in the club’s takeover could potentially hinder preparations for the upcoming season.
The final round of bidding for the takeover took place in April, with offers ranging between £5 billion and £6 billion from Jassim and Ratcliffe. However, things have gone extremely quiet recently, causing the delay in the process.
A key factor for the delay is said to be due to the family’s split opinions over the terms of a potential sale. While Avram and Joel want to stay on, Edward, Kevin, Bryan, and Darcie are believed to prefer a complete sale. This difference in views has led to the current situation where the takeover has not progressed as quickly as expected.