Plans for Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani to purchase Manchester United have been withdrawn, according to BBC Sport. The Glazer family, who have owned the club since 2005, announced last year that they were considering selling, leading to interest from a number of parties. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group was the other remaining bidder, however Ratcliffe is reportedly considering only purchasing a minority stake in the club to help resolve the ongoing ownership situation.
Both Ineos and Jassim had offered bids of around £5bn, with Jassim said to be interested only in buying the club outright. Manchester United supporters have held a series of protests against the Glazers, both at Old Trafford and online. The club is currently 10th in the Premier League, having lost four of their first eight matches. In March, it was revealed that they owed £969.6m in total.
There has been no update from any of the parties involved regarding Jassim’s withdrawal, nor the status of the Glazers’ strategic review, launched in November 2021. During a Fans Forum meeting earlier this week, United CEO Richard Arnold confirmed that the process was still ongoing. Despite their mixed performances on the field this season, the club remains one of the most valuable in the world, and is consistently ranked as the world’s most valuable football team, estimated to be worth $3.81bn as of August 2021
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