The impending sale of Manchester United is reaching its critical stages as the Glazer family looks set to press ahead with plans to part ways with the club they have been majority shareholders in since 2005.
The Glazer family, with the club primarily run by Joel and Avram Glazer, announced last year that the club would consider partial and full offers to complete a takeover of the club.
Since then, a number of parties have entered the fold but in terms of a full takeover, Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS firm have emerged as frontrunners.
Earlier this month, both parties tabled exploratory bids to purchase the club and last week, Ratcliffe and a Qatari delegate were present at Old Trafford to hold further talks.
Now, with talks with both parties said to be positive, a second round of bidding is underway, with the Glazer family putting a 9 pm deadline on Wednesday for improved offers.
In an exciting development, Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol has dropped an update on the situation, revealing that Sheikh Jassim’s revised offer is expected to be a world-record bid, hinting that he is willing to offer more than Ratcliffe.
Footage courtesy of Sky Sports
“Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim will make a world-record bid for Manchester United,” Solhekol said on Sky Sports, as seen above.
“It will definitely be a world-record bid. The world record at the moment is £3.75bn that was paid for the Denver Broncos last summer. The big question is will it be enough to tempt the Glazer family to sell Manchester United?
“Our information is the Glazers are looking around £6bn. I’ve been trying to find out exactly what this bid from Qatar is going to be. I’ve been asking the question: will it be more than five? Will it be close to six? I can’t give you an exact figure but I’m being told it will definitely be a world record.”
Sheikh Jassim’s improved bid will not be unopposed, however, with another update later on Wednesday claiming that Ratcliffe is also planning on making another offer.