The Manchester United takeover saga continues to drag on, with Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe both engaged in the bidding war. The Ineos owner has seemingly surged ahead in the race. However, the Qatari Sheikh still remains in the mix.
The nature of their bids are quite different, which shows the different plans that they have for the club. While Sir Jim Ratcliffe will allow the Glazers to stay on at the club in a minority capacity if they wanted to, it is the opposite for Sheikh Jassim, who wants a 100% takeover with the Glazers gone.
Manchester United takeover: Bidding war continues to drag on
The supporters of the club have been very critical of Ratcliffe’s stance to leave the Glazers at the club, given the sheer amount of protests against them. However, the billionaire is counting upon Joel and Avram Glazer leaving in the coming years in order to win support from the fans for his bid.
Sheikh Jassim is still expected to make a bid at the 11th hour, which would make it difficult for Ratcliffe. However, the final decision is up to the Glazers and what they perceive as the best option. The bid from Qatar was valued at £5 billion, while Ratcliffe has put forth a £6 billion offer, which is closer to the asking price.
There is still no reported timeline on when the Manchester United takeover process will be completed. But perhaps a conclusion can be expected before the start of the new season in order to avoid tumult behind the scenes.
