Man Utd takeover BOMBSHELL: ‘The Qataris are sick of being taken for mugs’

Robin Bairner

• 17 Jul 2023 22:19 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United’s hopes of an imminent sale have been dealt a blow with the message that Sheikh Jassim is “sick of being taken for a mug” by the Glazer brothers.

The Red Devils were put up for sale late in 2022 and it was expected that the takeover would be completed by the spring.

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From the outset, a Qatari bid fronted by Sheikh Jassim and a rival bid from Ineos led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe have been seen as the leading contenders to buy the Old Trafford side, but neither has been able to strike a deal with the Glazers, who are holding out for £6 billion for the club.

On several occasions, the Sheikh’s patience appears to have been stretched thin by the Americans, with the businessman even going so far at one stage as to put a deadline on his bid. This proved to be a bluff that the Glazers were happy to call.

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’Big problem’ with Man Utd takeover

Now, though, tensions appear to be rising once again, with The Athletic’s Matt Slater announcing on the Stretford Paddock that the Qataris’ ongoing interest is again in the balance.

“There’s certain a theory that this entire eight, nine-month dance has been about getting them to that [meet the Glazers’ asking price]. Come on, come on, come on Sheikh. We know you can afford it. You said you’re doing this in cash, you said you’re going to pay the debt. What’s another half a billion between friends?” he said.

“There’s a big problem there. The Qataris are sick of being taken for mugs. If they overpay in this deal, they worry that they will be asked to overpay on the next property deal, the next time they buy a chunk of Uber and Starbucks or whatever. The next time a large piece of real estate comes up in Manchester or London or Paris or wherever it may be.”

The takeover has been apparently stuck in limbo for weeks, frustrating Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag, who has been unable to exploit the transfer window as much as he would have wished this far and is likely to have his hands tied until Deadline Day.