Sheffield United: Steve Rosen takeover saga set for further delay | OneFootball

The Blades have been involved in sale talks for more than half of the year now.

Sheffield United supporters and Chris Wilder will have to wait until December at the earliest for the proposed American takeover of the club to be finalised as further delays hit the sale process, according to The Star.

The first reports of American interest in buying the Blades from Prince Abdullah emerged in the summer; in May, to be exact. We're now approaching the final month of 2024 and no deal has been agreed as of yet.

The details and the leaders of the consortium looking to take control of the Championship side have changed throughout the six-month-plus-long process, with Ohio-based businessmen Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy now acting as the frontmen in negotiations with the Saudi prince.

Blades supporters will be well aware, because of previous takeover attempts, of how easy, or not easy, it can be to buy a football club. There have been times where this deal looked close to being done, but the wait is now expected to go on until closer to Christmas.

Sheffield United takeover timeline updated

The earliest that the United sale will go through is in December, according to The Star, as the American leaders of the bid have now set to commence with their Thanksgiving celebrations, which has put a halt on any discussions.

This week was hopefully going to be the week when everything fell into place and the deal could be signed, sealed and delivered, making the Blades all theirs to the states-based consortium. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and the wait goes on for new owners at Bramall Lane.

United's first-team boss has said that there needs to be "clarity" on the situation, as the January transfer window approaches. "I think we all deserve credit for not letting that get in the way of how we work," said Wilder, via The Star.

"Maybe through experience, we've done that and getting on with what we can control. Which is the players' performances, recruitment in the summer and results, which we've tried to do.

"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 [United’s chief executive] has kept me in the loop as much as he can, and with whatever he knows as well, and I think we're on the same page with that."

The fortunes of the club, despite no changing of the guard taking place, have hugely improved over the first months of the season. The lowly relegated side that looked destined for second tier mediocrity are now one of the promotion favourites, and yet the asking price that the Saudi prince set in the summer has remained, as per The Star.

The current owner is set to receive a bonus as part of the deal if the Blades book a quick return ticket to the Premier League this season. The Steel City outlet has reported that the bonus figure could rise if the deal continues to drag on.

Frustration exists among the interested parties that the takeover has not gone through yet. The Star have said that, as the negotiations go on longer, the owner's current willingness to sell his asset may reduce.

Sheffield United need takeover confirmation, one way or the other, ASAP

Wilder has got this team into a position where we expect them to be one of the teams battling for promotion come the end of the season. To give himself the best chance to take this club back to the top flight, he needs a decent budget to be able to work with in January.

Now, that will only come if the takeover is completed, but even if the sale never goes through, him and the recruitment team just need to know what they are working with.

The Bladesmissed out on a summer transfer target, Peterborough United striker Ricky-Jade Jones, because of the stalling sale situation. They won't want future deals to be affected by the current uncertainty surrounding the club's ownership.