Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is still confident of winning the race to complete a takeover of Manchester United despite recent reports.
Sheikh Jassim’s latest £5bn offer to buy Manchester United remains on the table, as he bids to complete a 100% takeover of the club.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is Sheikh Jassim’s main competition in terms of a purchase of the club, and it has been claimed that the British businessman is now leading the race to complete a takeover.
Initially, Ratcliffe had allegedly been looking for a controlling stake in the club before completing a full takeover within three years.
However, the owner and founder of the INEOS Group is now believed to be willing to purchase a minority stake, potentially bidding £1.5bn for 25% of the club.
Bloomberg claims that Ratcliffe is now at the head of the queue, with the Glazer family currently leaning away from a full sale at this moment in time.
However, according to The Mirror, Sheikh Jassim’s camp are confident that ‘nothing has changed’ when it comes to the race to complete a takeover.
The report claims that the Qataris believe that they are still in a strong position despite the process stalling over the last few months.
Almost a year has passed since the Glazers demonstrated a willingness to sell the 20-time English champions, and it had initially been thought that a sale would occur by April.
The proposed date soon passed, with a takeover then thought to be likely before the opening of the summer transfer window, but the Glazer family remained in charge heading towards the end of 2023.
There have been suggestions that the American owners value the club in the region of £6bn.
