February 14 – A bid for Manchester United by Qatari investors is expected to be made by the end of this week as they look to buy the club in its entirety.
As speculation intensifies about the potential sale of the club, the controversial reign of the Glazer family looks to finally be nearing its end with the Qatar Investment Authority apparently on the verge of lodging a bid.
The bid, reportedly backed by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, will apparently come in time to meet Friday’s so-called ‘soft’ deadline imposed by the New York-based investment bank the Raine Group.
The Glazers are reported to be holding out for a figure around £6 billion though a lesser offer seems likely to be accepted.
If successful, it would mean both Manchester clubs being bankrolled by Middle Eastern money.
The emir also owns Paris Saint-Germain via Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), which appears to be a different organisation than the ownership group that will bid for Manchester United. However, some reports are suggesting QSI would take a minority stake in the club but would take over the management of the business.
UEFA rules do not allow clubs meeting in the same continental competition to have the same proprietor. Were both PSG and United to be in next season’s Champions League they would have to demonstrate they were not administered by the same structure.
The billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest people and a lifelong United fan, recently confirmed that via his company, Ineos, he would also be bidding for United.
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