Sheikh Jassim the big winner in Glazer's Man Utd sale U-turn

Jacque Talbot

• 21 Jun 2023 10:25 BST
• 3 min read

Sheikh Jassim is the winner of the Manchester United takeover saga. The Qatari businessman now appears to be the frontrunner in the process.

His proposal entails a complete buyout of the club, while he recently presented an improved fifth bid. If successful, this would lead to an immediate departure of the Glazers from Old Trafford, bringing an end to their 18-year reign.

Initially, Joel and Avram Glazer, two of the six siblings, had been reluctant to see the club be sold on and where hoping for more of an offer whereby they could retain at least some control of the side.

The Qatari bid appears to have an advantage - this is because they want to buy the club without any intermediary period or shared control.

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However, this does mean that the saga is likely to rumble on for a longer period after the Glazers said that Man Utd was up for sale in November of last year.

Rival bidders

There are other companies at the table too. US investment firm Elliott Management, the Carlyle Group, and Ares Management, had proposed a minority investment in the club. Their bids would allow the Glazers to maintain a portion of their size.

But with each day that passes, that seems more and more unlikely. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also at the table, but while is Ineos group appeared to be the frontrunner before, reports suggest that now that is not the case.

The Glazers have faced significant criticism from supporters due to their leveraged buyout in 2005, which burdened the club with substantial debts. Additionally, on the field, Manchester United has failed to win the Premier League title for the past decade. As a result, fans of the club are calling for the Glazers to completely relinquish their ownership.