One potential advantage for Sheffield United's hierarchy if club is sold to US buyer

Although the last two individuals to hold talks about purchasing United - Nigerian Dozy Mmobuosi and the now jailed Henry Mauriss - were only interested buying Paul Heckingbottom’s side, it will not be lost on either the Saudi Arabian or his associates that the likes of William P.Foley, who recently bought AFC Bournemouth, have outlined plans to establish a network of feeder teams elsewhere.

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He quickly organised a minority stake in Lorient, who are based in France, while one of his backers has long-standing links with a club in Brazil.

“We’ll have a third European club that will maybe be a level below Ligue 1 and then we’ll take a look at South America and really start investigating that because that’s the feeder system,” Foley told journalists soon after his arrival in Dorset. “A Uruguayan club that can feed into a Belgian club, that can feed into a French club, that can feed into a Premier League club. We’re controlling our destiny"

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United, who have just secured promotion back to the Premier League, are part of the United World (UW) stable, which Prince Abdullah uses to oversee his stakes in teams such as Beerschot and Chateauroux. Like United, who enjoy an enviable reputation when it comes to developing young players, the Belgians are also renowned for their youth development work which, potentially, could see them bundled into any future deal for Heckingbottom’s employers. A number of players have completed loan moves from South Yorkshire to Antwerp in recent years, with Ismaila Coulibaly returning to United last summer after spending two campaigns at the Olympisch Stadion.

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Prince Abdullah agreed a price, known to be £115m, with Mmobuosi before talks between the two men stalled earlier this year. Mmobuosi, whose period of exclusivity has now expired, was informed at the time this would rise to around £150m if, as they subsequently did, United regained their top-flight status following two seasons in the Championship.

If Beerschot, who finished third in last term’s Challenger Pro League last term, were to be included in any future negotiations then this price would rise.

The rise in popularity of multi-club systems, such as the one operated by Manchester City, could also in part be a response to expenditure rules introduced by the PL which state members must not lose more than £105m over the course of three seasons or risk falling foul of its Profit and Sustainability regulations. With squad sizes also limited and restrictions placed upon the number of loans which can be brokered, it is easy to see why Americans used to seeing franchises carry huge playing rosters favour an approach which remains controversial in some quarters.

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