Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim reaches decision on ‘making offer’ as Glazers hold ‘internal talks’
According to reports, Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim has reached a decision on whether to make a fresh bid to buy Manchester United.
INEOS supremo Sir Jim Ratcliffe fended off competition from Jassim to buy a 27.7% stake in Man Utd at the start of 2024, and his share has since been increased to around 29%.
The Glazer family, who remain Man Utd’s majority stakeholders, opted to favour Ratcliffe’s bid for a portion of the club, which included an option to eventually complete a full takeover. Jassim and his representatives, meanwhile, were always only interested in a complete takeover.
Ratcliffe and INEOS have had a rollercoaster ride at Man Utd, and there have been murmurs that he could lose control of the Premier League giants.
Last October, it was falsely claimed that a full takeover was at an ‘advanced’ stage, while a report from Bloomberg this week claimed the Glazer family have decided to open the door to a complete sale.
This report claimed the Glazers have held ‘internal talks’ over selling Man Utd, with it also claimed that the club is valued at around £5bn.
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This has naturally fuelled speculation that Sheikh Jassim could return to the table for Man Utd, but The Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan claims he is ‘highly unlikely’ to ‘make an offer’ for the Premier League giants.
Man Utd issue firm response to takeover speculation
The same report claims the current Red Devils hierarchy have ‘dismissed’ speculation that the club could be sold.
READ MORE: Man Utd takeover: Glazers hold ‘internal talks’ over sale after valuation emerges
The report explains:
‘It is understood that the [Qatari] group has not been contacted either formally or informally to gauge their interest. Should that change, it is expected that any attempt to trigger a new bid would currently be met with short shrift. The group, fronted by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, remains scarred from its experience more than three years ago. It made a final offer of around £5bn for full control of the club, only for the Glazers to instead sell an initial 25 per cent to Sir Jim Ratcliffe for £1.3bn.
‘As things stand, they would have ‘no intention’ of returning to the table. Last August, we revealed how a ‘drag along’ clause in the Glazers’ deal with Ratcliffe came into force, paving the way for the Americans to sell up, should they wish to do so. At the time, sources in Qatar disclosed that there was no appetite to go again, and that position is understood to remain the same.’
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