Sheikh Jassim remains in the race to buy Manchester United despite reports that he had pulled out as Glazer family enacted PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to increase the Qatari’s bid.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani was ready to pull out of the bidding process with the Glazer family dragging their feet over his £5.2 billion bid – his fifth in the process – which included a separate fund to redevelop Old Trafford and the surrounding area.
The Qatari’s primary competition for the right to own Man Utd comes from INEOS boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe, once the UK’s richest man, who already owns Nice in France’s Ligue 1.
READ: Man Utd takeover: Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS face FIFA sanctions threat
Ratcliffe’s bid is understood to be the preferred one as it would allow the Glazers a continued stake in the club.
Al-Khelaifi’s role
With that in mind, United’s American owner sought Paris Saint-Germain president Al-Khelaifi’s help in upping Jassim’s bid to compensate for their potential future loss set against the structure of Ratcliffe’s deal.
The delay had reportedly prompted Jassim to withdraw, but that now appears not to have been the case, with Sky Sports reporting that both sides – the Glazers and Sheikh Jassim – sought the counsel of Al-Khelaifi, who is also the chairman of the European Club Association.
“It’s been widely reported that the Glazers want £6bn for Manchester United,” they write. “Al-Khelaifi has been sounded out by both sides, but people close to him are saying that this does not mean he is involved in buying the club, far from it. He was just asked for some advice.”
Accordingly, Jassim is not being pressured to up his bid directly by his compatriot Al-Khelaifi – something that could also constitute a conflict of interest – and his continued interest in the Red Devils suggests the Glazers aren’t 100 per cent convinced about Ratcliffe’s offer either.
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