THE Manchester United takeover race is hotting up with the Emir of Qatar set to make a bid of £4billion-plus.
The Red Devils’ owners, the Glazer family, have set this Friday as the deadline to have offers submitted.
As reported by the Guardian, the Qatari ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will table the gulf state’s bid.
The Qatar Investment Authority is said to be worth around £370bn and have already held talks with the Glazers.
However, the emir, 42, does not believe the value of the Old Trafford club exceeds £4.5bn – let alone the £6bn the Glazers initially demanded.
And Sheikh Tamin, worth £1.6bn alone, is already the owner of Paris Saint-Germain through Qatar Sports Investment which would mean different personnel must be registered on the United ownership to allow both sides to play in the Champions League.
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The Thani family hold investments in a number of properties around the world including London’s Shard skyscraper, Olympic Village, Harrods department store, Canary Wharf, the Chelsea Barracks and New York’s Empire State Building.
The royals also hold investments in Barclays Bank, British Airways and Volkswagen.
The deeply unpopular Glazers announced in November they were open to selling United, having taken over in 2005.
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They set February 17 as a soft deadline for interested parties to express their one-paragraph offers alongside a proof of funds.
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American merchant bank Raine are overseeing the potential sale, just as they did with Chelsea last year.
Billionaire and one of Britain’s richest people Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also interested in buying the Red Devils.
The life-long supporter and Mancunian, who failed in his attempt to buy the Blues last year, has recruited powerhouses JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to help with his bid.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk is also understood to be considering a shock bid for United.
The Tesla and Twitter owner is believed to be a big fan of the club.
Musk, 51, who’s worth a reported £157bn, is one of a select few who could afford to buy the Red Devils.
He is second only to Bernard Arnault, the CEO and chair of luxury goods company LMVH, worth a reported £156m.
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Musk is believed to be monitoring the situation closely following the listing of United.
The South African-born brainbox is wondering if there is an opportunity at Old Trafford that he should not miss.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
