Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is reportedly still interested in taking over at Manchester United if the club becomes available again in the future.
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe quickly emerged as the two frontrunners to oust the Glazers from Old Trafford when the American family confirmed that they would be open to exploring strategic alternatives to their ownership in late 2022.
The Qatari billionaire was believed to have been in favour of a full purchase from the off, while Ratcliffe's INEOS team were only after an initial minority investment with a view to a potential full takeover further down the line.
The Glazer family were understood to be holding out for around £6bn to sell the club in its entirety, and while Sheikh Jassim made numerous bids, he was not successful in getting the owners to budge.
Sheikh Jassim eventually withdrew from the race in October 2023 after his £5bn bid went unanswered, and it was reported that the Qatari banker had grown miffed at the slow progress of the process.
'Plans still there' for Sheikh Jassim to take over at Man United
© Imago
Sheikh Jassim's withdrawal gave Ratcliffe a clear path to complete a 27.7% purchase of Man United, which was confirmed just before Christmas 2023, but the Glazers retained overall control of the club.
However, should the American owners open their doors to a full sale at some point in the future, the Daily Mail reports that Sheikh Jassim is still optimistic of buying the Red Devils.
The report claims that the Qatari chief has been supporting the 20-time English champions since childhood, and his sweeping changes would have seen more staff brought in as opposed to the significant cuts that INEOS have made.
"If the opportunity to buy the whole of Manchester United arose again at some point in the future it is hard to see there not being a big level of interest. The plans are still there," a source told the publication.
Assessing INEOS' time at Man United so far
© Imago
News of Sheikh Jassim still having an eye on a future takeover will likely be welcomed by large sections of the Man United fanbase, who have not witnessed significant progress after a year of the Ratcliffe regime.
The 72-year-old has overseen a major reshuffle in the club's sporting department, but on the field, Man United are still mired in mediocrity, as Ratcliffe openly admitted in a recent interview.
The Red Devils won the FA Cup under Erik ten Hag last year, persuading club chiefs to give the Dutchman a stay of execution, but he was eventually given the boot just a few months later after Man United made their worst-ever start to a Premier League season.
Now under the tutelage of the highly-rated Ruben Amorim, Man United are in a lowly 13th place in the Premier League table, and some either unpopular or controversial changes have also been made behind the scenes.
As well as the recent shock exit of sporting director Dan Ashworth, Sir Alex Ferguson will leave his role as a club ambassador when the season is over, and plans were made to cut around 250 jobs over the summer.
Ben Knapton
