Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim Submits Final United Bid

08 Jun 2023 | Tom Barwick

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Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has submitted a fifth and final bid to buy Manchester United, according to various reports.

The Qatari banker has stated that he will wait until the end of this week to hear an answer from the Premier League giants, and if unsuccessful, will no longer engage with the process.

The bid is for 100% of the club and includes a promise to clear United’s debt with a separate fund established for the club and local community.

Although the value of this bid remains unknown, the last offer made by Sheikh Jassim was thought to be around £5bn.

Credit: Shutterstock – Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (L), the potential new owner of Manchester United at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Any potential sale to the Qatar would make United the most expensive sports team in history by at least £200m, exceeding the £4.8bn ongoing deal to buy NFL franchise Washington Commanders.

The Qatari group is one of the two remaining parties looking to purchase the Red Devils with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos Group also trying to complete a deal. Ratcliffe’s last public bid was made at the beginning of May.

However, it is thought Ineos could restructure its offer, which initially was for the Glazer family’s combined 69% stake, in a way that could allow co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer to retain their personal shareholding.

Figures in March showed United owed £969.6m through a combination of gross debt, bank borrowings and outstanding transfer fees with associated payments.

With the summer transfer window officially open United will be keen to finalise any change of ownership in the coming to ensure it does not affect its summer investment into the playing squad.