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sportsmole.co.uk, 20 March 2023, 13:53
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani will reportedly lodge his second bid for Manchester United on Wednesday evening, with the Qatari banker determined to purchase the club.

Last November, Man United's current owners the Glazers signalled that they were prepared to listen to offers for the 20-time English champions.

As it stands, two offers have been submitted by Sheikh Jassim and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but both bids fell short of the Glazer family's asking price, which is believed to be between £5bn and £6bn.

Sheikh Jassim sent a team to Manchester last Thursday to hold talks with senior Man United officials, while the party also toured Old Trafford and the Carrington training complex.

Ratcliffe was then present alongside his team on Friday, with the businessman also firmly in the running to buy the Red Devils from the Glazer family.

Both Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe have allegedly been informed that they have 10 days to submit new offers.

Towards the start of last week, it had been suggested that Sheikh Jassim was prepared to walk away from a deal unless the Glazers dropped their asking price.

However, a fresh report then claimed that the Qatari banker was now prepared to 'overpay' for the club due to his desire to become their new owner.

Man United bidders will have to submit offers to Raine Group - the US bank working for the Glazers on the sale, and Sheikh Jassim is said to be in the driving seat, as he wants to purchase 100% of the club, while Ratcliffe is only thought to be looking to take on the 69% owned by the Glazers.

According to Sky Sports News, Sheikh Jassim will make his second bid for the club on Wednesday evening, as talks between his representatives and club officials last week were hugely positive.

The report claims that the discussions lasted 10 hours, and there is now a feeling that the Glazers are prepared to sell despite recent claims that they could pull the plug on a deal.

However, Ratcliffe is also believed to be lining up a second offer, with the 70-year-old also determined to win the race to become the new owner of one of the biggest football clubs in world football.

Man United have largely struggled to secure on-field success since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure as manager in 2013, but there have been huge signs of progress this term under Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils have already won this season's EFL Cup, while they are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and semi-finals of the FA Cup, in addition to sitting third in the Premier League table.

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