Doubts increasing over Sheffield United takeover prospects as vital deal continues to drag on

Doubts are steadily growing behind the scenes at Bramall Lane as Sheffield United’s prospective new owners struggle to complete their takeover deal. The Blades have been in a state of limbo for some time now, after the US-based consortium agreed a deal with current owner Prince Abdullah but has not yet taken the keys to the Lane boardroom.

The Star was first told that completion was close earlier in the summer before undisclosed delays saw it pushed further and further back. The new group then hoped to be in place for the final portion of the summer transfer window, which closed with the Prince still in charge and United losing two players on deadline day without the ability to replace them.

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Supporters are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of communication over the deal and although United are expected to be tied to a non-disclosure agreement, there is increasing concern from within Bramall Lane about the future of the takeover. We had been previously told that the original investors in the deal remain in place, amid speculation that one had pulled out, but even some senior figures at United remain in the dark about exactly where the deal is currently at.

Individuals with knowledge of the takeover bid have privately briefed that the current impasse can be overcome; sources close to the current ownership have suggested that the deal is in doubt. The truth, invariably, will likely be somewhere in the middle but the ongoing delay is not a great look for the group of would-be new owners, which includes Wolverhampton-born, US-based businessman Tom Page.

There is also a sense that, ordinarily, either party would have moved on by now but both have so much invested in a deal that is almost two years in the making that there seems a reluctance to admit defeat just yet. There have been suggestions that Prince Abdullah will bank another non-refundable deposit if the deal does not go through from here, which we have been unable to independently verify.

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Nigerian businessman Dozy Mmobuosi paid almost £9m to United World as a downpayment in his own bid to buy the Blades not long ago, but he was unable to convince the EFL of his credentials and the deal collapsed. Mmobuosi was subsequently charged by the SEC in the US with fraud and was recently fined $250m. United’s accounts had previously warned that “should the SEC charges proceed to be accurate, the [£8.85m amount] could potentially be recovered from Blades Leisure Limited and/or the club,” although it is not yet known if that will come to pass.

In the meantime United look set to carry on as normal under the Prince’s ownership, with an uneasy fanbase wondering if and when anyone will arrive at Bramall Lane with - after decades of relative underachievement - both the ambition and the funds to take them to the next level.