Sheffield United takeover news: What is happening? | OneFootball

We rounded up all the latest news on Sheffield United's proposed takeover by a US consortium led by Steve Rosen.

It looked as though Sheffield United's proposed takeover was set to be completed earlier this month, but a recent delay has raised concerns among supporters that the deal could fall through.

Current Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah first became involved with the club when he purchased a 50% stake in September 2013, and after a lengthy legal battle, he took full control in September 2019 when co-owner Kevin McCabe was forced to sell his 50% share for £5 million.

The Blades have enjoyed plenty of success during Prince Abdullah's tenure, including two promotions to the Premier League, but he has been looking to sell the club for some time.

It was claimed that Prince Abdullah had agreed a £115 million deal with Nigerian businessman Dozy Mmobuosi in 2022, but his takeover attempt failed, and United supporters will certainly be relieved given that he has subsequently been accused of fraud.

The Blades were relegated from the top flight last term after a disastrous campaign, but despite the ongoing uncertainty at Bramall Lane, manager Chris Wilder was able to bring in 10 new signings this summer, and his side are currently among the promotion contenders in the Championship following an excellent start to the season.

Amid their strong form on the pitch, it seemed as though positive off-field news was on the horizon for United after reports emerged that a takeover was nearing completion, but with negotiations now stalling, we rounded up all the latest news on the situation.

Sheffield United takeover latest

It was first revealed by The Telegraph earlier this month that Prince Abdullah had agreed a £100 million deal to sell the club to a US consortium led by Steve Rosen.

Rosen was spotted in the stands for United's 1-0 win over local rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Bramall Lane two weeks ago alongside fellow potential investor Helmy Eltoukhy, which indicated that negotiations were heading in the right direction, and the pair have reportedly reached full agreement with the EFL to buy the club.

The takeover was expected to be completed imminently, but there has been no official announcement, and amid increasing concerns about the delay, rumours began to circulate that Rosen and Eltoukhy needed another partner, but according to The Mirror, that is not the case and their consortium "has the capital to complete the deal".

The same report also states that Prince Abdullah's refusal to sign off on the deal is the reason behind the current delay, but that has been emphatically denied, with sources close to the club telling BBC Radio Sheffield journalist Rob Staton that it is "absolutely not true".

With conflicting reports about the situation, it is difficult to know exactly why Rosen and Eltoukhy's takeover is yet to be finalised, and the speculation will do little to ease the fears of Blades supporters.

Rosen and Eltoukhy are reportedly willing to provide Wilder with funds to strengthen his squad in January, but the duo "feel the clock is ticking on them helping him" in the winter window as the takeover delay continues.

Speaking to the media this week, Wilder called for clarity on the situation, and with his squad currently being stretched due to injuries, he stressed the importance of finding a resolution before the January window.

"I think we all deserve credit for not letting that get in the way of how we work," Wilder told journalist Rob Staton.

"Maybe through experience we've done that and got on with the things that we can control, which is players' performances, recruitment in the summer and results.

"I believe we need clarity, I'd like to think that we're coming up to that point now, either one way or the other.

"Stephen Bettis (chief executive) has kept me in the loop as much as he can with whatever he knows, I think we're on the same page as well with that.

"Definitely for January, we need to strengthen, we feel that, especially after losing Arblaster.

"Without being clever, we understand that there might be some injuries, we were never going to be a group that wouldn't suffer through that, everybody does.

"It's important that when we do, we have a strong bench and we have a strong group, so I'd like to think that we will be able to do some business in January.

"We still have two loan slots available, which is good and promising.

"I do think that the chemistry of the group is really important.

"For me, I don't think we need four, five or six, but we certainly need maybe two or three to bolster the group, and I'd like to think we'll have the opportunity to do that because the prize is big at the end of the season."