Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim ‘failed to recover’ from dig at ‘furious’ Glazers

Former Manchester United bidder Sheikh Jassim struggled to get his bid back on track after offending the Glazers, according to reports.

It was announced on Saturday that Sheikh Jassim had pulled out of the process to take over Man Utd with the Qatari banker failing to agreee a deal with the Glazer family.

Sheikh Jassim and INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe both submitted offers to buy the club in February and also made further bids since – but neither party could agree to 100 per cent takeover of the club.

A report in The Times yesterday insisted that British billionaire Ratcliffe is ‘set to complete a deal for a 25 per cent stake of Manchester United after the withdrawal of his main rival’.

They added that Ratcliffe ‘has convinced the Glazers to sell’ to him and the newspaper understands that it ‘will be the first stage of a full takeover’.

And now the Daily Mail explains that Ratcliffe ‘started on front foot and nailed their PR strategy’ to beat Sheikh Jassim in their efforts to buy the Premier League club.

READ MORE: Sir Jim Ratcliffe must reveal Man Utd plan once he gets grubby with the Glazers

They also explain how Sheikh Jassim stuck his foot in it with the Glazers by claiming he was ready to return the club to ‘former glories’ experienced before their ownership of Man Utd.

US merchant bank Raine, who are in charge of the potential takeover, warned potential buyers to ‘keep their mouths shut’ during the process, which was ‘interpreted as a direct shot at the Qatari group’, while Sheikh Jassim’s comments sparked ‘fury’ among the Glazers.

The Daily Mail added:

‘To say that comment did not go down well with the Glazers would be an understatement, according to those with knowledge of the situation. An offer many thought would render their purchase of the club a formality started on the wrong foot and, as the months dragged on, failed to recover.’

Unlike Ratcliffe – who ‘impressed’ when Man Utd hosted both bidders at Old Trafford in March – Sheikh Jassim’s relationship continued to go downhill with the Red Devils hierarchy.

The Daily Mail continued:

‘Just over a month after final offers, Sheik Jassim delivered a further proposal directly to the Glazers and set his own deadline. Again, it did not meet their asking price for United and did little to improve relations.

‘Meanwhile, Ratcliffe’s people remained engaged. They flew to New York on a number of occasions trying to find a way, and eventually they did. They restructured their deal, giving the option of a 25 per cent stake for a figure that was acceptable.

‘More talks with both followed but when it became clear Ratcliffe was to prevail, Sheik Jassim pulled the plug.’