A group of Qatari investors are set to make a takeover bid for Manchester United and are confident of beating any competitors in the race, according to the Daily Mail.
The Glazers are open to ending their long-term association with United and have reportedly set a deadline of mid-February to analyse the proposals on the table.
It is now revealed that a group of wealthy investors from Qatar are expected to make a bid in the coming days and are confident of blowing any rivals out of the water.
They are reportedly willing to meet the Glazers’ £6 billion valuation of United and would be prepared to invest a further £2bn for a complete makeover of Old Trafford.
The investors are said to be independent of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) who own Paris Saint-Germain. On that basis, there may not be any conflict of interest in future.
The group consider United as ‘football’s crown jewels’ and are prepared to back manager Erik ten Hag with huge transfer funds to lead the club back to the top.
United need the right owners after the Glazers
United have struggled to compete with arch-rivals Manchester City over the last decade and it has been largely due to the limited investment from the Glazer family.
The Glazers backed Ten Hag with a huge spending spree last summer, but this was partly influenced by the massive fan protests after a poor start to the season.
Otherwise, they would not have spent big in the transfer market. The owners would have been content taking their dividends as usual without focusing on the club’s progress.
The new owners will need to prioritise United first rather than making money. The club could benefit from a takeover from wealthy Qatari backers.
The Premier League won’t make it easy for them with the Owners’ and Directors’ Test, and a takeover may not be straightforward even if a bid is accepted.
If the Glazers were to approve their proposal, it could probably take a few months for an ownership change and the process needs to begin as soon as possible.