By Kieran Maguire

9th May, 2023 | 12:58pm

Kieran Maguire: Qatari bidders woo Man United fans with £800m takeover 'promise'

Sheikh Jassim is trying to ‘win the hearts and minds’ of Man United fans with his £800million promise to renovate Old Trafford.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the reasons behind Jassim’s takeover pledge.

As reported by City A.M, the Qatari bid for Man United is set to include an £800m pledge to renovate Old Trafford and club facilities.

The investment funds promised by the Qatari bidders is separate from the £5billion offer that was tabled for the club.

Football Insider sources revealed that the £800m pledge will have no bearing on the Glazers’ takeover decision.

The Glazers are not set to benefit from any infrastructure funds put aside by bidders unless they retain a minority stake, but the Qatari offer is for 100 per cent of the club and they do not intend to keep the American owners on board.

Maguire admits that Old Trafford is in need of renovation but believes Jassim’s infrastructure pledge is a ‘beauty parade’ to woo Man United fans.

“I think what we have in terms of this £800m pledge is effectively a bit of a beauty parade from Sheikh Jassim’s team,” Maguire told Football Insider.

“He is trying to win the hearts and minds of the Manchester United fanbase by making a promise to deal with an issue which has been sadly neglected by the Glazer family.

“In truth, Old Trafford has fallen behind the standards expected by fans in the 21st century.

“They tried to utilise grants from Project Big Picture and the Super League to fund stadium improvements instead of investing their own cash.

“We’re now at a point where either takeover party would have to take action about the state of Old Trafford, especially if they want to host European fixtures such as the Champions League final.“

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