Man United rivals to become a bigger club thanks to the Glazers

Manchester United fans lived in fantasy world when news came up that Qatari businessman, Sheikh Jassim held genuine interests to save the club and the team from the Glazer ownership.

However, on the evening of Saturday, the 14th of October, news came up that  Sheikh Jassim, had withdrawn from negotiations to acquire Manchester United from the Glazer family.

The news comes after a series of attempts by Sheikh Jassim, conducted through his Nine Two Foundation, to secure the Premier League giant were stalled by the Glazers who eyed a better offer before they could let go of the Old Trafford club.

The Qatari’s latest bid was a staggering £5 billion, a value more than double that of Manchester United’s actual market valuation, which stands at around £2.6 billion.

According to ESPN’s Rob Dawson, Sheikh Jassim’s party informed both the Glazers and Raine, the merchant bank overseeing the sale negotiations, of their decision to withdraw from the takeover process.

The primary reason cited for this abrupt change in direction was a significant disparity in the valuation of the club. It appears that the Glazers’ asking price was deemed “unrealistic” by Sheikh Jassim’s team.

However, the Qatari businessman’s ambitions to own a Premier League club are far from over.

Reports suggest that he may now be eyeing Tottenham Hotspur as a potential acquisition.

ESPN’s Mark Ogden speculates that the Qataris could shift their focus to purchasing the North London club instead, should their pursuit of Manchester United not materialize.

Ogden emphasized the Qataris’ desire to establish a prominent presence in the Premier League, stating,

“PSG was a great move [for the club’s Qatari owners], because it’s Paris. It’s a great city, but I think they’ve found over the years that Ligue 1 is just not big enough. They want the Premier League footprint.”

This development coincides with statements made by Tottenham’s chairman, Daniel Levy, last month.

Levy expressed the club’s openness to considering offers for a stake in Tottenham, which has been owned by ENIC since 2001.

He stated,

“If anyone wants to make serious propositions to the board of Tottenham, we will consider it along with our advisors. And if we felt it was in the interests of the club, we would be open to anything.”