Sheffield United Takeover: Blades told reasons for 'significant' investment interest as process continues

United owner Prince Abdullah accepted an offer from an unnamed party last year, months after a prospective takeover by American businessman Henry Mauriss collapsed after he failed to convince the EFL of his plan to buy the Blades.

The current takeover bid is at the EFL stage, with league chiefs ensuring the prospective new owner passes their fit and proper test and that the funds they are using for their bid come from legitimate means.

And while United are understandably remaining tight-lipped over the deal, after the Mauriss saga, that hasn’t dampened expectation amongst the Blades’ fanbase as their side continue their relentless march towards automatic promotion to the Premier League.

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Paul Heckingbottom’s side go into this weekend’s clash with Stoke City at Bramall Lane second in the Championship table and effectively 10 points clear of third-placed Blackburn Rovers, with goal difference taken into account.

And football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes that, plus the fact the Blades own their own stadium and Sheffield’s reputation as a football city, make United an inviting prospect for would-be owners.

“Buying a club without a stadium or vice versa can cause issues but whoever this mysterious party is, is getting the whole package [with United],” Maguire, the author of the Price of Football book and a lecturer at Liverpool University, said.

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“The stadium issues have been resolved at Bramall Lane, the club is in a very strong position in terms of going up and again that’ll be reflected in the price. Bournemouth sold for £120-130million in the Premier League.

“United have a big fan base and Sheffield is a big city, it’s a football city as well. That’s no disrespect to Bournemouth or my club Brighton, but we’re not a football city. We’ve got a great football club but we’re not a football city.

“And that doesn’t mean the fans are any less passionate at those clubs, but Sheffield United can point to that history and that heritage and sense of community. And I think that’s very attractive to a prospective owner because you’re buying into that noise you get with a club like Sheffield United.”

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United have the second-highest average attendance in the Championship this season and a reputable youth academy that has produced England stars Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in recent years. United also own the Shirecliffe training complex, although a new site will be required if they are to achieve their aims of becoming a category one academy, and have on-field assets including Iliman Ndiaye, Sander Berge and Anel Ahmedhodžić worth tens of millions of pounds.

“If you’ve sat in the directors’ box at Bramall Lane and heard that roar, that makes it quite a seductive purchase,” Maguire told the Second Tier podcast.

“So I think we’re probably looking at a significant price, probably £80-90m, given where they are and what they’re likely to receive if they get promoted.

“People say you get £170m guaranteed if you go up but most of that goes on wages and transfer fees very, very quickly. As many clubs have learned to their cost.”

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