Everything is on the table in terms of outcomes until the process officially ends. There's games and meta games going on and the inexperience of the British sports media covering deals this magnitude is showing.
- There was a reason for "Strategic Alternatives" and it's far from clear how this minority offer serves an outcome that satisfies all parties and a year-long process.
- Darcie, Edward, Kevin and Bryan all want a full sale and preferably yesterday.
- Nine Two Foundation briefed Fabrizio Romano of all people to tell the sports world he's pissed off with the Glazers and walking away and the unofficial line from the camp is that they're out. Wall Street doesn't seem convinced in the absence of an official press release considering our share price.
I believe the Romano story was a deliberate acquisition strategy to force the Glazers to entertain this ridiculous minority offer from Ratcliffe knowing that the Glazers ultimately want a full sale (at least four of them do). I think Jassim is calling their bluff so that they see the reality of not having a full buyout on the table thus re-focusing the minds of the Glazers and re-balancing the nature of negotiations forcing the Glazers to pick up the phone to bring Jassim's camp back to the table.
I don't see how Jassim's consortium could bring this process to a conclusion any other way. If they offered more money there wasn't a guarantee the Glazers would accept due to them always wanting more. With the current strategy it forces the Glazers to initiate contact to make a deal. This is far from over, I feel.