Qatari investors preparing opening £5 billion takeover bid for Manchester United

Posted Friday, February 17, 2023 by Goal.com

The race to buy Manchester United appears to be heating up with bids to acquire the Premier League club from the Glazer family expected on Friday.

WHAT HAPPENED? An opening bid of £5 billion for Manchester United is expected to be made on Friday, according to Bloomberg. A consortium of Qatari investors, that includes former Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, is currently finalising an offer for the Red Devils. British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is also expected to bid after announcing in January he is in the running to buy the Premier League club.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Investors from Saudi Arabia and the United States are also expected to join the bidding as the race to takeover the Red Devils intensifies, according to Sky. Initial bids need to be made to the Raine Group, who are overseeing the sale, by 10pm on Friday.

AND WHAT'S MORE: The chief editor of the Doha Arabic, Majed Al Khelaifi, hinted at a move for United with a tweet of the club's badge and the caption: "Man United is Qatari."

A Qatari journalist has posted a similar image and suggested the Red Devils will have new owners soon with a post on Twitter that read: "After the intransigence of Liverpool’s owners and their refusal to give a percentage exceeding 49% (a controlling percentage in which decision-making takes place), the compass changed completely for Manchester United, very simple steps to announce the acquisition of United."

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD? The Red Devils are back in action on the pitch on Sunday against Leicester in the Premier League at Old Trafford.