Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim presents Glazers sweetener in bid to outdo Ratcliffe, Zilliacus
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani reportedly added an incentive to his offer to purchase Manchester United from the Glazer family.
Friday night, Sheikh Jassim, the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank and son of a former Qatari prime minister, submitted his second-round offer to purchase United.
Despite rival interest from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus, a source close to the bid reports that the Qataris remain confident of completing a takeover.
Sheikj Jassim’s second bid is rumored to have met the Glazers’ £6bn asking price. No figures have been disclosed, but one or more of the initial bids were reportedly in the region of £4.5 billion, and Sheikj Jassim’s second bid reportedly met the Glazers’ £6 billion asking price.
The Sun reports that the Qatari royal family member offered an additional incentive in order to secure United’s services.
The sheikh allegedly discussed a joint venture with the Glazers that could bring NFL games to the Middle East.
In recent years, the Glazers, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have sent teams to London to play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in an effort to expand the NFL’s global audience.
And Sheikh Jassim believes that offering the Middle East as an additional potential location could provide him with an advantage in negotiations.
A source said: “Sheikh Jassim has been very clear he wants to buy the club and has the money to do so.
“He has been impressed with the Glazers and would like to work with them in the future.
“Part of his proposal has been that the Glazers could bring their NFL team to Qatar for an exhibition game in the national stadium in Doha.
“This would help cement Qatar’s stature as a destination for sporting spectacles and offer the Glazers a chance to spread their NFL brand and cash in.
“Sheikh Jassim has offered to insert a clause in any takeover deal guaranteeing this and it appeals to the Glazers.”
The Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, and New England Patriots will play games in England and Germany, the NFL announced in January.
NFL executive vice-president Peter O’Reilly said: “Growing the league and our sport internationally is a major strategic priority for the NFL, and we are excited to again be playing five games outside of the US in 2023.”
Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim presents Glazers sweetener in bid to outdo Ratcliffe, Zilliacus
