Manchester United

Sheikh Jassim 'to make renewed Manchester United offer before end of April'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 16 April 2023

Sheikh Jassim 'to make renewed Man United offer before end of April'

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani will make a third and final offer for Manchester United before the end of April, according to a report.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani will reportedly make a third and final offer for Manchester United before the end of the month, with the Qatari banker still determined to buy the club.

The first offer from Sheikh Jassim was rejected by the Glazer family, while his second offer, thought to have been in the region of £5bn, has also seemingly been turned down.

A recent report claimed that the sale process has entered a third round of bidding, with the likes of Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe being invited to increase their offers.

Finnish billionaire Thomas Zilliacus has revealed that his offer for the club still stands, but he has refused to enter into a third round of bidding, calling the process "highly unprofessional".

According to Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol, Sheikh Jassim remains determined to purchase the 20-time English champions and will enter a third bid before the end of the month.

Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer and club CEO Richard Arnold on February 26, 2023 © Reuters

"Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar will make a final offer for Manchester United before the deadline for third bids of Friday 28 April. He remains 100% committed to buying 100% of Manchester United," Solhekol tweeted.

Despite the presence of Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim is regarded as the favourite to buy Man United, with the Qatari banker looking to purchase 100% of the club.

Sheikh Jassim has also promised to clear the club's debts, while he is expected to make sizeable transfer funds available to Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag, should he manage to complete a takeover.

Last November, the Glazers revealed that they were open to selling the club, but there is no clear end point to the process at this stage, with any sale unlikely to occur until the start of June at the very earliest.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and co-owners Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer in April 2019 © Reuters

A recent report claimed that Man United's transfer plans had been put on hold due to the certainty surrounding their ownership, which could cost them the chance to sign major targets this summer.

The Glazers are believed to want as much as £6bn in order to sell, but there is thought to be a split in the family when it comes to the future of the club.

Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer allegedly want to bring in fresh investment rather than look to sell but that is not an opinion shared by their siblings, Kevin, Edward, Bryan and Darcie.

UK officials have reportedly recently raised concerns over some previous business dealings by Sheikh Jassim.

However, there has been no indication that the UK Government are planning to block the Qatari's attempts to complete a full takeover of the English giants, who are still active in three competitions entering the business end of the campaign.