The race for the ownership of Manchester United is hotting up with the Glazer family still holding the upper hand in negotiations despite one bidder stating that he’s very confident of securing a takeover.
Both Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are known to have submitted bids, and second offers will be expected by the next deadline of 9pm UK time on Wednesday evening.
According to The Telegraph, it’s expected that both bids will be in excess of £5bn, which would be a world record.
What’s interesting about both bids is that they’re markedly different.
As Sky Sports reported, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid is for 69 percent of the club, the exact amount that the current owners hold, and he is known to be a United fan so clearly would have the best interests of the club at heart.
Sheikh Jassim on the other hand, wants 100 percent of the club (per Qatar Moments) and has given a commitment to wipe out any debt the club currently holds, something which would be likely to appeal to a long-suffering fan base.
Indeed, it is the latter who remains ‘very confident’ of seeing his bid succeed say sources close to him, per The Telegraph.
The possibility of the Glazer family staying in charge still remains, although surely even they would be hard pressed to turn down a world record bid.
What’s clear is that things are really starting to move now, and by the end of the week the picture should become a little clearer.
hmmm