Man Utd takeover: Glazer board meeting in ‘days’ as Ratcliffe ‘edges’ out Sheikh Jassim
Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly has ‘the edge’ over Sheikh Jassim in the race to acquire Manchester United form the Glazer family.
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have been the frontrunners in what is approaching a year-long saga since the Glazer family announced a strategic review last November.
That announcement confirmed that “a full sale” was a possibility and Sheikh Jassim has reportedly offered £5bn for a 100 per cent sale, pledging heavy investment in the club should his bid come to fruition.
Ratcliffe meanwhile initially wanted the Glazers’ 67 per cent stake but is said to have revised that bid, offering £1.5bn for 25 per cent that would allow the current owners to retain control before a likely phased takeover.
And Bloomberg claim Ratcliffe’s offer has ‘given him the edge’ over Sheikh Jassim, with the Glazers said to prefer his proposal to a full takeover.
A board meeting, expected to take place in ‘the coming days’, looks set to involve in depth discussions over Ratcliffe’s latest bid.
It is though claimed there is ‘no certainty’ the Glazers will agree – no surprise there – and there also remains hope among the American owners that Sheikh Jassim will increase his bid.
United legend David Beckham will be happy to hear the Glazers are sitting down to discuss the offers, though his “long-standing relationship” with Qatar may mean he would prefer them to be considering Sheikh Jassim’s offer.
“Obviously I have a long-standing relationship with Qatar because of my involvement with PSG,” Beckham said. “Obviously there’s some connection there and people talking about my involvement in Man United because you put myself in Manchester plus PSG and there’s a connection so people will obviously talk about that but no discussions at the moment.
“Something is going to happen. I think there will be a takeover, I think it’s the right time.
“We all have our own opinions on who we feel should take over but in my opinion, it’s whoever cares about the club the most and who can take it back to where it should be.”
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