Manchester United have not accepted "a more flexible offer" from Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS, and any potential deal that sees the Glazer maintain their position at United would need the board's support, claims journalist Ben Jacobs.
Manchester takeover news – What's the latest?
Another week passes, and yet the potential sale of one of the biggest sports teams in the world still seems no closer than it did a few weeks ago.
It has been seven months since the Glazers first announced they were looking for outside investment for the club, news that was celebrated almost like a title win by many fans of the club who have long opposed the American families' ownership of their football club.
Yet, over half a year later, they are still firmly in control.
There have been three rounds of bidding for the Red Devils, which have left Ratcliffe's INEOS-supported bid and the Qatari bid fronted by Sheikh Jassim as the two most serious parties.
While it is hard to genuinely gauge the feelings of such a massive and international fan base, Ratcliffe's offer to buy just 51% of the club and allow the Glazers to keep a stake of around 20% is unlikely to sit well with much of the support.
What has journalist Ben Jacobs said about the Manchester United takeover?
Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "INEOS, with a more flexible offer for control of the football club, have never at the point we're recording this anyway been put in exclusivity, nor have they obviously completed a deal for the football club.
"And the reason for that is because even if the Glazers like the offer on the table that could allow Joel and Avram to stay, it's still got to get board approval."
What other sports teams does Jim Ratcliffe own?
Should Ratcliffe and INEOS get their way this summer and become the majority owners of United, it'll be the British Billionaires' fifth sports organisation and his third football club for which he will be the majority owner.
The first football team he purchased was the Swiss super league outfit FC Lausanne-Sport. He bought the team back in 2017, and things immediately went wrong, with the side being relegated in his first year of ownership, coming back up the following year.
The second side in his stable of European football teams is the slightly more prestigious Ligue 1 side, Nice.
INEOS took control of the French club in 2019, and since then, things have gone okay for the club, finishing fifth in 2020, ninth in 2021, fifth again in 2022 and finally ninth again last year.
The 70-year-old businessman also owns the sailing team Ineos Britannia and the cycling team Ineos Grenadiers which has competed in the Tour de France.
If the lifelong United fan really wants to add the historic club to that list and win the fans onside, he might want to reconsider the offer to keep the Glazers onboard.