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Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim 'weighing up' Tottenham BACKUP PLAN
Sheikh Jassim has reportedly earmarked Tottenham Hotspur as an alternative should his ownership bid of Manchester United fail.
The takeover saga has been dragging on for months, frustrating supporters and even the Red Devils boss, Erik ten Hag, who is seeing his summer plans foiled by the unwillingness of the current owners, the Glazers, to sink money into transfers with a sale imminent.
But the Manchester United affair is also impacting other clubs, most notably Tottenham. Spurs fans are waiting with bated breath for this saga to find its conclusion - or perhaps they are hoping that there will be no conclusion at all considering that a fresh infusion of cash could see United reignite their interest in Harry Kane.
But it's not just on the transfer front where the takeover could affect Spurs. In fact, they themselves could end up being taken over, according to a report.
Jassim eyeing Spurs
ESPN journalist Mark Ogden claims that Sheikh Jassim and his Nine Two Foundation have earmarked Tottenham as a potential alternative if their United bid fails. "They want the Premier League footprint," Ogden said in an interview with The United Stand.
"Somebody told me recently, they said that if the Qataris don't buy Man United, they'll be back and they might end up buying Tottenham."
"He said, look, if you've got Manchester City owned by Abu Dhabi, you've got Newcastle owned by Saudi Arabia, if Qataris maybe buy Tottenham, then you've got three clubs who can pull away."
READ: Man Utd 'HURRY' to beat Chelsea to €55m 'PHENOMENON'
Whether or not there is anything to this remains to be seen, but Spurs have previously been the subject of interest from potential buyers, most notably New York-based MSP Sports Capital, who now look set to invest in Everton.
As for Sheikh Jassim, it is still up in the air whether his fifth and final bid will be successful in seeing off his rival Sir Jim Ratcliffe and prising United away from the Glazers.