Sheffield United asking price reveals major stumbling block in takeover race | OneFootball

Sheffield United's high asking price is putting off potential buyers from completing a takeover of the Championship club.

Sheffield United's high asking price is putting off potential buyers from completing a takeover of the Championship club.

That's according to Alan Nixon, who has reported that the Blades' current owner, Prince Abdullah, has set a selling price of £110m, while the club are vying for an immediate Premier League return.

The current frontrunners in the race to buy the South Yorkshire outfit are a consortium led by American businessman Steve Rosen, who co-founded Cleveland-based Resilience Capital Partners.

According to Bloomberg, the Blades have been up for sale since May 2023, but more than a year on, Prince Abdullah has still not finalised a deal to sell his club.

Meanwhile, the high asking price the Blades' current owner has set is not encouraging prospective buyers, such as the consortium led by Rosen, to put an offer on the table.

Blades' asking price is too high

The South Yorkshire outfit have enjoyed a strong start to the Championship season, and are the only EFL side who remain unbeaten this campaign.

Furthermore, Chris Wilder's men would be top of the second tier table, above current league leaders Sunderland, if they had not been subject to their two-point deduction.

With the Blades' impressive form in mind, it appears likely that they will be plying their trade in the Premier League next season, if they can maintain their momentum, hence Prince Adbullah's high asking price.

However, fellow promotion candidates West Brom were bought by owner Shilen Patel back in February in a takeover deal worth £60m, as per Sky Sports.

Those in the race to purchase the Blades may look at the recent Baggies deal, and wonder why they have to breach the £100m mark to buy the South Yorkshire outfit.

Blades supporters may be concerned by takeover latest

Above all else, football fans up and down their country want to see their club in a stable position, so news that the asking price set by Prince Adbullah is putting off potential buyers is not what Blades supporters will want to hear, given that their club has reportedly been up for sale for almost 18 months.

Furthermore, the South Yorkshire outfit have faced two relegations from the Premier League in the last four seasons, and are establishing a reputation as a yo-yo club.

The Bramall Lane faithful would love to see their club in a position where they can sustain top-flight football, while a completed takeover deal could help them do just that.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg revealed that Rosen's consortium, who are currently in pole position to purchase the Blades, are planning on investing in Wilder's squad during the January transfer window, in an effort to bolster their promotion chances.

Given that the South Yorkshire outfit already boast the likes of Kieffer Moore, who won promotion from the Championship with both Ipswich Town and Bournemouth in recent years, as well as exciting youngster Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, on loan from Crystal Palace among their ranks, further investment in January could make them very well equipped for a promotion push at the business end of the season.

However, with such a high asking price in place from Prince Abdullah, an imminent takeover deal arguably seems unlikely now.