Will the tug-of-war between Sheikh Jassim and the Glazers over the sale of Manchester United ever end? At this point, no one, including the involved parties, can answer this question. An understandably frustrated Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani has put his foot down and submitted an ultimate, take-it-or-leave-it fifth offer of $7.4 billion (an increase of $1.1 billion) to buy the iconic club with 100 percent ownership. Any more dilly-dally will have the affluent Qatari banker disengage himself from the sale process if his bid is not accepted by Friday.
We reported the 40-year-old royal Sheikh Jassim’s keen interest in buying the world-famous Manchester United Club in February 2023. It is over 4months of to and fro with the Glazers over the drawn‑out process overseen by the Glazers, who put the club on the market in November. Glazers also delayed the sale of the multi-billion Man Utd after the father of Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, former Qatar prime minister Sheikh Hamad expressed concern over the takeover.
He said, “I am not a football fan. I don’t like this investment. Maybe it will work well. But you know, some of my sons like this, they always discuss it with me. They’re pushing hard. This isn’t my speciality” He added, “Let me put it like this: I am an investor. If it will one day be a good investment, I will think about it. I will not look at it as something you do just as an advertisement.”
The former Crown Prince (who abdicated the throne) will undoubtedly walk away on Friday. His competitor, British billionaire Sir Ratcliffe’ has offered to buy 69% of the club and involves one of more the Glazers to remain involved for a specific time period.
This final nail in the coffin should end the ongoing offer exchange and will perhaps pressure the Glazers to take a call. Whether the urgency is out of sheer frustration or the possibility of fearing losing out to Sir Jim Ratcliffe is something only the Sheikh knows.
