There is no lucrative way for them to attain competitiveness again without an almost disgusting amount of cash, injected in the club. We're talking 700+ million. Given the world wide financial state, and what's coming this winter, only drug cartels would buy such a mess of an institution, which has already started decaying at vast rates.
The market in general is now contracted as most teams have done their business, but above all else, they know selling to the PL means profit. So you're overpaying anyway. To add to this, their internal structure, reminiscent of a kindergarten, seems to be unwilling to accept the sporting reality that surrounds them.
As they have continuously ruined careers, over-scrutiny, "drama", social media tasks which I can guarantee are probably overshadowing the football aspect, all add up. The world actually see them as what they are. So agents, players, employees, virtually anyone with football knowledge will stay the fuck away from them because the only thing they are, is in fact, a museum, with a shop, that happens to have a football team.