Ed Woodward Reiterates Man Utd Owners Stance Amid Saudi Crown Prince Takeover Rumours

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has said the club's current owners are in it for the 'long-term' amid a reported takeover bid from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

It has been an eventful week in a tumultuous season for United, with the 1-1 draw with fierce rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday played out amid fresh reports that a third takeover bid from the Middle East is imminent.

This follows news that two bids - the second of which believed to be somewhere in the region of £3bn - were categorically rejected by the current American owners, the Glazers, who had shown no prior signs of an intent to sell the club.

And it seems that any further offer will have to be hugely improved to stand any chance of being successful, as executive vice chairman Woodward says the current owners are in it for the long run.

​"Based on what I see, they're in it for the long-term," he said, via the United We Stand fanzine (as per ​Sky). 

"With regards to offers or asking prices, my understanding is that there have been no discussions for a price for the club or anything like that. Every conversation we have is based on the long-term."

The Glazers have been in charge of the club since securing a majority shareholding in 2005, and have recently come under fire by supporters, with protests held outside Old Trafford before Sunday's clash with ​Liverpool. 

The discontent comes after a dire start to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first full season in charge, and though a draw with the league's runaway early leaders was creditable on paper, it leaves them languishing in 13th place after the first quarter of the season.

It was the 11th straight match in all competitions that ​United failed to score more than a single goal in a game, having not done so since the opening match of the season against Chelsea.