Despite setbacks that have pushed the announcement of the agreement into the week after next, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s £1.25 billiоn investment for a 25% share in the club is drawing nearer to becoming a reality.

Once the minority ownership is granted, Blanc, the club’s chief executive, and Brailsford, INEOS’s head of sport, will both play key roles at the club.

Among the United executives who the two reportedly visited with on Thursday were football director John Murtough and temporary chief executive Patrick Stewart, according to The Athletic.

The discussions allegedly marked a major advancement in a “fact-finding mission” leading up to the deal’s finalization.

Blanc has been chief executive at Juventus and marketing executive of Paris Saint-Germain before joining INEOS last December, while Brailsford was performance director at British Cycling.

Blanc has been tipped as a potential permanent chief executive, but it’s not obvious if Ratcliffe could use the conditions of his arrangement to promote one of his own colleagues to the position.

After Richard Arnold left the club, Stewart stepped in as an interim manager.

When they were considering making an offer for the club in March, they went to Old Trafford with Ratcliffe.

Officials had planned to broadcast the arrival of the Ineos millionaire before Tuesday’s Bayern Munich match at Old Trafford, according to Mail Sport.

‘Legal structural’ issues, according to US officials, have delayed the timetable.

Those concerned are crossing their fingers that the impending Christmas break does not force the announcement into the new year in the event that issues do not get resolved.

The New York Stock Exchange-listed A-shares and the Glazers’ B-shares, which have more voting power, will both be acquired by the British billionaire in the proportion of 25%. Old Trafford and Carrington will get an upgrade thanks to his additional £245 million investment in the club.

The new group could not be ready for the January transfer window because approval is anticipated to take between six to eight weeks after the announcement.

He triumphed over his rival, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani of Qatar, who had dropped out of the bid for the Premier League giants in October, leaving him with no competition.

Since the Glazers announced they were looking for investors and were considering a full sale, over a year has gone by.