Qatar had long discussions over Leeds bid before Man Utd takeover plan

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PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi had ‘long discussions’ with Leeds over a possible takeover bid prior to Qatar’s imminent offer for Manchester United, according to reports in France. The 49-year-old chief is the chairman of Qatar Sports Investments, who have been actively exploring the proposition of investing in a Premier League club alongside their project in Paris, where there are fears any purchase of United could have damaging implications for the Ligue 1 champions.

Nonetheless, Qatar’s Premier League investment plan is nothing new and is actually something that has been explored for many years behind the scenes – it has now emerged.

Prior to the Glazers’ statement in November which confirmed they were ‘open to investment opportunities’ Qatar had already begun putting out the feelers to other English clubs – one of whom were United’s rivals Leeds.

Le Parisien are reporting that Al-Khelaifi himself was involved in active discussions with the Elland Road hierarchy over a possible takeover bid that failed to materialise despite extensive conversations.

Leeds chief Andrea Radrizzani, who was spotted with Al-Khelaifi as recently as last December, had a strong professional working relationship with the PSG president – which has previously pointed towards potential business opportunities.

Back in 2020, he refused to rule out a collaboration with Al-Khelaifi at Leeds, hinting the pair had long planned to work together within football.

He told Gianluca Di Marzio: “These are rumours that have been ongoing for more than a year now. What is true is that we have a great relationship on a personal level.

“There’s a desire to do something together maybe even in football but there’s nothing concrete at this time

“In the last few weeks everything took a back seat. My desire to have a great Leeds that is a protagonist in the Premier League and to do so we will need partners on top of the San Francisco 49ers, we’ll evaluate this when we are in that league.”

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Rumours first began to swirl back in November 2019 when Radrizzani was a guest of Al-Khelaifi at the Parc des Princes for a Champions League game against Club Brugge.

The report from Le Parisien also claims Al-Khelaifi held discussions with Newcastle prior to their £305million Saudi Arabia-backed take-over that was completed in October 2021.

More recently, it’s understood Al-Khelaifi also held a private meeting with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to discuss potential investment opportunities.

The exploratory talks took place in a London hotel but a deal looks incredibly unlikely at this stage as the Qataris begin to focus their efforts on a bid for United.

Any purchase of the club is unlikely to involve QSI although like PSG, it will have the backing of the Emir of Qatar, who is understood to be a big fan of both football and tennis.

The Glazers value United at around £6billion while the Qataris are believed to be considering an offer worth around £4.5bn.

There is an appreciation from potential suitors that United’s current facilities require widespread investment.

Old Trafford requires notable redevelopment and their Carrington training ground was recently described as dated by Cristiano Ronaldo prior to his departure to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

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