It is anticipated that a consortium led by Qatar will present a new bid to purchase Manchester United from the Glazer family in the coming days..
Should Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani‘s investment group successfully purchase Manchester United from the Glazer family in the near future, it is reported that other clubs in the Premier League may put up considerable opposition to the Qatar–led takeover. The consortium arrived in Manchester from London via train on Thursday and the face–to–face talks reportedly ended on a positive note.
The big query is whether Sheikh Jassim‘s offer will exceed Jim Ratcliffe‘s valuation of United and persuade the Glazers to part with the club, even though both contenders are expected to present new bids for the Red Devils before the end of the week and Ratcliffe, an avowed Manchester United fan, is competing fiercely with Jassim for the club.
The Qatar-led group is expected to ‘significantly increase’ its offer to buy the club later this week, according to The Independent, although a successful takeover could risk a huge backlash from other Premier League sides if it goes ahead over the coming months. It is anticipated that there would be clear ‘resistance’ from United’s domestic rivals, given the furore over the Saudi-backed owners at Newcastle and just how ‘financially uncatchable’ the Red Devils would be if they were fuelled by Qatari money.
It is also said that the topic of sportswashing and human rights in Qatar will become more apparent as any deal edges closer, which could see opposition from other Premier League clubs grow stronger in due course.
