Glazer brothers Joel and Avram are set to remain in majority control of Man Utd (Image: Getty)
Manchester United's squad is in dire need of improvement, but the Glazers have effectively taken money out of the transfer kitty to fund the lengthy process that saw Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquire a minority stake in the club. The Red Devils have lost out on millions and millions that could have been spent on reinforcing Erik ten Hag's ranks, with the Glazers drawing from United's cash reserves to pay those who oversaw the sale.
Profit and sustainability rules (PSR) have been a hot topic this season, with Everton and Nottingham Forest each charged by the Premier League for losing more than the permitted amount over a three-year period.
Some forms of expenditure, such as investing in the academy, community projects or the women's team, are exempt from PSR. In other words, United could spend in those departments without detracting from the money they'd be allowed to spend on transfers.
Spending on legal fees and expert advice to oversee a drawn-out sale process, which culminated in Sir Jim purchasing 29 per cent of United, is not exempt from PSR.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Man Utd buy-in is yet to be formally ratified by the Premier League (Image: Getty)
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The £24.9million fee owed to Raine Group, legal fees owed to dozens of lawyers across the globe, and completion bonuses owed to senior figures at Old Trafford are not coming out of the Glazers' pockets, but out of United's coffers, according to the i.
As a result, that spending will be accounted for when totting up how much United have made or lost over the past three seasons as part of the PSR process, reducing the amount they're able to spend on transfers by tens of millions.
Bleak signs have already emerged at Old Trafford this month as they reported a £25.8m loss for the first quarter of 2023/24. Ten Hag has been operating on a virtually non-existent transfer budget this month, with United yet to make a single senior signing.
The Red Devils backed themselves into a corner after spending extortionately on summer signings who have so far failed to come up with the goods under Ten Hag.
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Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana - the three most expensive of the lot - have each fallen short of expectations. United are currently down in eighth, 11 points off the top four and out of the Champions League.
Although the Glazers are set to remain in majority control, Sir Jim and his team of INEOS specialists will take the reins of the sporting operation, which fans hope will kick-start a new beginning at Old Trafford.