Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani battled with Sir Jim Ratcliffe to takeover Manchester United and lost in February 2024
Former Manchester United takeover hopeful Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani reportedly remains interested in purchasing the club despite losing out to Sir Jim Ratcliffe last year.
United’s takeover process was a long-winded affair with the Glazers initially seeming to be opening the door for a full takeover. However, it soon became clear that the American family were uninterested in relinquishing full control of the club.
As such, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos ended up investing in the club and purchasing a minority stake. With this, they gained full control of the football operations and Sheikh Jassim moved on.
Everything was made official im February 2024 with Sheikh Jassim dissolving the Nine Two UK Holdings Ltd in September of that year. Despite the finality of that decision, former editor of the Independent and author of ‘The World’s Biggest Cash Machine: Manchester United, the Glazers and the Struggle for Football’s Soul,’ Chris Blackhurst, has told talkSPORT that the Qatari continues to be keen on purchasing the club at some stage in the future.
“The Qatari bid was very real. Genuinely real,” Blackhurst explained.
“I still think there could still be interest from there, they have not gone away, that is what I keep being told. As long as United remain the biggest club, and that depends on the reach and the social media reach and the sponsorship deals.”
When asked by host Jim White how much the Glazers are wanting for United, Blackhurst replied: “I think it has changed over time. It was certainly £6bn at the time (when Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe were battling for control).
“Ratcliffe paid about £1bn but he got no control – they [the Glazers] have control. They want a lot more than that and if they were to get the new stadium, that would enhance it even further.
“Whether that is realistic or not, I don’t know.”
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.
Joan Haslett
Read More