Sheikh Jassim ready to give up on Man Utd takeover to give Ratcliffe free run

Erik ten Hag wants Man Utd to use FA Cup final defeat as motivation

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani is ready to finally walk away from his bid to buy Manchester United today (Friday June 9), according to reports. The Qatari has been tussling with Sir Jim Ratcliffe for several months to buy control of the club from the Glazers.

And it is claimed Sheikh Jassim has now submitted a fifth and final bid to seize ownership from the much-maligned American family. That comes after a lengthy saga, with his first bid having been submitted way back in February.

According to the Daily Mail, the billionaire has set a deadline of today for the Glazers and the Raine Group to respond to his ‘take it or leave it’ offer. Sheikh Jassim approached the United owners directly to submit his final bid.

It is claimed while the offer will still stand, he will not enter into further negotiations beyond midnight tonight. The Glazers set April 28 as their deadline for final bids but have still yet to pick a preferred party to do business with. 

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Sheikh Jassim wants 100 per cent control of the club while Ratcliffe’s INEOS takeover would potentially see the Glazers retain a role with the Red Devils. Ratcliffe is Britain’s richest man Ratcliffe and his bid would be for the majority of shares rather than all of them, with Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer potentially retaining a 20 per cent stake. 

Ratcliffe has long been considered the likelier to purchase United. But there could still be more twist and turns in a long-running saga. The current United owners are pushing for £6billion but neither Jassim or Ratcliffe have matched that valuation through multiple rounds of bidding.

The Glazers announced they were ready to sell United back in November and the fact it has not yet been wrapped up could hamper Erik ten Hag’s summer transfer window. The Sheikh is ready to heavily back the Dutchman with new signings. 

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The Qatari’s offer is also said to include further funds for infrastructure – with Carrington and Old Trafford in need of renovating and improving – as well as squad recruitment. United could update Old Trafford or explore the potential of building an entirely new stadium, with either option likely to cost in excess of a further £1bn.

Furthermore, Sheikh Jassim is reportedly ready to wipe out the club’s debts – which stand at around £500m. The vast majority of United fans are eager to see the back of the Glazers, who have owned the club since 2005, due to the debts accrued under the family and how much money has been taken out of the club in the last 18 years.

Ten Hag will no doubt be eager for the takeover process to be concluded as soon as possible so that he can be fully aware of how much money he has available to reshape his squad. Ahead of a return to the Champions League, the Dutchman is expected to pursue a striker – with Harry Kane a major target – and a midfielder – with Mason Mount top of the shortlist. Right-back is another area that could be strengthened.

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