The chairman of one of Qatar’s biggest banks Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is reportedly the Glazers’ preferred bidder in the process to take over Manchester United.
Sheikh Jassim and INEOS billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe have emerged as frontrunners since the Red Devils were put up for sale in November 2022. Sheikh Jassim wants a full takeover, while Ratcliffe is eyeing “controlling interest”.
The takeover process has reached a third round of bidding. Several reports have claimed Sheikh Jassim is the preferred bidder, though his latest bid does not meet the £6bn asking price. It is reported to be over £5bn, however.
A deal for Man United is set to break the world-record fee a sports club set when the NFL side Denver Broncos were sold to the Walton-Penner group.
Furthermore, a successful takeover by Sheikh Jassim would see the Red Devils become the third Premier League club with ownership links to the Middle East after Manchester City (Dubai) and Newcastle United (Saudi Arabia).
Here’s the reported wealth of Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe - compared to Newcastle United, Man City and other Premier League club owners.
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1. 22nd: Brentford - Matthew Benham
Reported net worth: £25m Photo: Clive Rose
2. 21st: Nottingham Forest - Evangelos Marinakis
Reported net worth - £505m
3. 20th: AFC Bournemouth - Bill Foley
Reported net worth: £1bn
4. 19th: Southampton - Dragan Solak and Katherina Llebherr
Reported net worth: £1.05bn