Manchester United’s protracted takeover saga appears to be nearing its conclusion.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to pay £14 billion for a 25% interest in the 20-time Premier League winners.
Sheikh Jassim of Qatar had emerged as the frontrunner to buy the club fully from the Glazer family, but he declared this weekend that he would no longer be in the running after receiving a sixth bid of £5.5 billion, with the present ownership holding out for £6 billion.
Many Manchester United fans wondered if news of Ratcliffe’s deal was close to conclusion would persuade Jassim to return, but the Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan stated that the Qataris have no inclination to try again.
“Very much hoping this does not come back to bite me,” Keegan went on to say. “However, I asked someone involved in the process this exact question yesterday.” Their reaction? ‘No chance.'”
Keegan also predicted that Jassim would make an offer for Liverpool as “revenge” for his unsuccessful effort to buy Manchester United.
“The Qataris have set aside approximately $8 billion (£6.57 billion) for the United project,” he continued.
“That money is there and ready to go, burning a hole in their pockets, so what a story [buying Liverpool] would be.”
“From what I understand, they [Qataris] are extremely disappointed and enraged at how this has turned out.”
“What better way to respond than to get United’s biggest rivals from down the road and throw all that money you were going to throw into Manchester United into making them pay for that decision not to sell to you.”
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