Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani or Sir Jim Ratcliffe will complete a Manchester United takeover as a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’, according to a key Premier League figure. The Qatari royal, in particular, has been backed to ultimately accept the Glazers’ financial-driven demands and increase his bid to seal a full sale.
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim have been at the forefront of an 11-month saga since the Glazers announced a strategic review last November.
The two frontrunners were joined by US hedge funds seeking minority investment, but United’s owners have yet to decide on the club’s fate.
Sheikh Jassim has reportedly offered around £5bn for a 100 per cent sale, pledging heavy investment in all areas of United.
Meanwhile, Sir Jim initially eyed the Glazers’ 67 per cent stake but is since said to have revised his bid to table £1.5m for 25 per cent.
That would allow the Glazers to retain control at Old Trafford, likely before a phased takeover, eventually sending Sir Jim to the club’s helm. But the American family are thought to have so far dismissed that offer.
Jon Smith, one of football’s first-ever agents who played a crucial role in forming the Premier League in 1992, recently discussed the United takeover, among other topical subjects, with Caught Offside.
From talking to those close to United’s bidders, he believes that the Glazers are delaying the process in the hope that Sheikh Jassim will eventually pay what it takes to make a deal happen.
“To be honest here, I’m not inside this deal, but I know quite a few of the funds who are close to the two bidders,” Smith explained.
“It would appear vaguely intelligent for the Glazers to have looked again at the Gulf and said there’s a bigger game here, and we don’t want to sell ourselves short.
“They’ve got arguably the biggest entity on planet football, and if the Qataris are going to pay £5bn, maybe they’ll pay £10bn. Maybe it’s just a number, and they’ll settle on seven.
“These deals are notoriously complicated, and this is the biggest one of them all. I’m just of the belief that it’s a very heavy negotiation, and it’s ultimately all about the money, obviously, but also about the timing.”
Smith added: “I think the takeover is going to complete in some shape or form. It’s just a question of when.”
Sheikh Jassim reportedly remains adamant that he will walk away from the negotiation table if the Glazers refuse to budge on their £6bn-plus demand to relinquish control of United.
But his Qatari bid has the required funds available, making it difficult to remove the possibility of an improved offer until he does bow out of the process.
