Manchester United’s proposed bidders from Qatar are confident the Premier League club will view their bid as the best option for the club.
What’s the latest in Man United’s potential takeover?
On Thursday, the potential sale of the Red Devils took the next step following the soft deadline which was set last month for bids to arrive.
The Premier League giants welcomed representatives of the Qatar-based party to Manchester and provided them with a tour of Old Trafford along with a visit to Carrington training ground.
Friday saw Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrive for the same treatment as the club seemingly look to whittle down their options with a sale before the summer likely wanted by all parties.
And speaking on his YouTube channel, the reliable Fabrizio Romano has suggested Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is confident in the Qatar bid being best for the club:
“Sheikh Al Thani is still convinced that their proposal is the best one and Qatari delegation is in Manchester today [Thursday].”
“The Qatari group is really insisting, Sheikh Al Thani is convinced that their bid is the best one because they want to invest on the training ground, on the facilities, on the stadium, on new players, of course, and so on improving the team, but also on the academy.
“So they will be 100% interested in Manchester United, and they would buy 100% of the club, also minority shareholders.”
Who should the Glazers sell to?
On the back of United welcoming both parties to Manchester this week, it has been reported that both sides are expected to table more detailed offers over the coming week or so.
And what is interesting was Sheikh Jassim was not in attendance on Thursday for the visit around the club’s facilities, whereas, Ratcliffe was determined to be there in person.
However, the issue may lie for both parties in the belief that neither of them have been able to match the valuation set by the Glazers, who are said to be looking for at least £5bn.
What will be attractive to some at United will be the huge financial backing behind the Qatar bid which would clear the club’s debt left behind by the current owners.
And with this in mind, the club would likely have funds made readily available for not just matters on the pitch.
The club’s facilities have been questioned by one previous player, in particular, which could suggest the Qatar bid could be the ideal party to offload the club to.
However, selling to Qatar will raise its own issues which were seen through the sale of Newcastle United to Saudi Arabia and the recent World Cup.
In comparison, Ratcliffe’s proposed bid is believed to be for the 69% ownership held by the Glazer family, unlike the Qatar bid which is looking to take on the entire club.