Sources: Qataris now in pole position to buy Man United amid £6bn takeover twist
The Qatari investors aiming to buy Man United are growing in confidence as fewer bidders than expected have met the Glazer family’s deadline for offers, sources have told Football Insider.
It is believed that four soft bids were filed with takeover brokers Raine Group before the 10pm cut-off on 17 February.
Among the parties to have formally registered their interest is the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the sovereign wealth fund fronted by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest person, is also among the frontrunners, as is former AC Milan ownership group Elliott Management, who want to purchase a 60 per cent stake.
The final decision on the future ownership of the club is said to have now been delayed until May because of indecision within the Glazer family.
But QIA have nonetheless been buoyed by the fact that only a handful of bidders have come forward at this stage, a well-placed source told Football Insider.
While the takeover battle may be more protracted than initially believed, the relative lack of competition has shortened the odds that QIA will ultimately be successful.
The Glazers’ hesitancy is believed to be because none of the bids match their £6billion valuation of the club, with most coming in at closer to £4.5bn.
They had aimed to what is almost certain to be a world-record deal over the line by the end of March, but that now looks unlikely.
In other news, Kieran Maguire claims £42m Tottenham deal could be hijacked by Man United as government step in.