Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim ‘phone call’ to the Glazers revealed as transfer plans emerge

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31 August 2024, 15:14 yayınlandı

Sheikh Jassim and his camp are remaining “quite bullish” about their chances of acquiring Man Utd after making direct contact with the Glazers, according to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs.

Both Sheikh Jassim, the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank and the son of a former Qatari prime minister, and his rival Sir Jim Ratcliffe had submitted what had been expected to be their third and final bids for the club on April 28.

But amid growing confidence in the Ratcliffe camp, , which as before is for 100 per cent of the club, will clear all debt and includes a separate fund directed solely at the club and community.

Officials and staff inside Old Trafford are eager for clarity over the takeover situation, which began in November when Man Utd announced that the board was exploring “strategic alternatives” to enhance the club’s growth, with a full sale one option being considered.

Sheikh Jassim was the first prospective owner to publicly confirm a bid during the first round back in February and was soon joined by Ratcliffe, the Manchester-born owner of INEOS.

And Jacobs has revealed that Sheikh Jassim’s fourth offer came via a phone call to the Glazers and they remain confident of winning the takeover battle for Man Utd.

Jacobs told GiveMeSport: “I think the thing with Sheikh Jassim that’s key is that, throughout this whole process, the Nine Two Foundation have been using intermediaries and there’s been an element of smoke and mirrors.

“It’s not just the Glazers that haven’t shown their hand, it’s also to an extent the Nine Two Foundation. Now, what we’re seeing is a movement towards clarity. From the perspective of the Nine Two Foundation, they continue to – where necessary – be quite bullish.

“We’ve seen that, in making the fourth offer, which came after their supposed final offer that they were absolutely fine going to the Glazers direct with, which was a phone call.

“That’s an indication that they’re in this particular process to try and win. If that means going up in offer, they’ve shown that they’re prepared to do that.”

There have been numerous rumours that Sheikh Jassim knows which players he wants to target if he completes a takeover of Man Utd in time for the summer transfer window.

But the Daily Express claim that the Man Utd bidder doesn’t ‘have any transfer targets in mind’ despite speculation he wants Paris Saint-Germain pair Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, while Eduardo Camavinga, Kingsley Coman .