EXPRESS
Manchester United bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani could be heading towards a takeover at Old Trafford, with reports indicating that members of his inner circle are ‘increasingly confident’ that they have trumped a proposal led by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Both takeover hopefuls have been on tenterhooks while current owners the Glazers, along with Raine Group – the bank overseeing the process – come to a final decision on how best to proceed.
Sheikh Jassim’s offer is to buy 100 per cent of the Red Devils, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s proposal would see the Glazers stick around in a minority capacity over the next few years. United fans are growing increasingly impatient at the lack of urgency, with the summer transfer window now well underway.
A breakthrough could be just around the corner, however, as Bloomberg claim that members of Sheikh Jassim’s camp have started ‘communicating their confidence of victory’. They reportedly feel as though an official announcement is just ‘a matter of time’.
However, in a saga which has dragged on for more than seven months, there are lingering fears that the Glazers could make a last-minute call to keep hold of United and welcome minority investment instead.
Such a move would infuriate the vast majority of Red Devils supporters, with many of them gathering outside Old Trafford on Tuesday to take part in a protest which saw the club’s megastore temporarily close down on the day their 2023/24 kit was released.
Part of Sheikh Jassim’s confidence may boil down to backlash around Sir Jim’s offer, with the structure reportedly ‘provoking opposition‘ from some United shareholders. One is believed to have sent a letter to the board expressing concerns around the fact that not all shareholders would be bought out by the Brit, with directors vulnerable to being sued if they recommended a bid that favoured one set of shareholders over another.
