Sheikh Jassim’s bid to take over at Manchester United from the Glazers will be settled imminently, according to reports in Qatar.
What’s the latest Man United takeover news?
Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have been the front runners to take control at Old Trafford this year after the Glazers first put the club up for sale in November 2022.
The Qatar group led by Jassim has made five separate bids for the Red Devils, with the latest coming last month and was his final offer. His proposal is for 100% of the club and would clear Man United's debt, while also setting up a separate fund for the club and local community.
However, it has gone relatively quiet since that bid went in, although there was speculation that Jassim was in pole position to secure a takeover. It looks as if there could now be a big development around the corner at Old Trafford, with Qatari outlet Raya providing an update on Tuesday.
It is ‘expected that the Manchester United purchase contract will be signed by the Glazer family that owns the club within the next few hours’, with Jassim set to win the race ahead of competition from Ratcliffe.
The Qatari group ‘have now begun to express their confidence in the victory, and they believe that it is only a matter of time before the official announcement is made’.
Who could Sheikh Jassim sign for Man United?
Should Jassim’s takeover go through as which now is to be expected, it could help Erik ten Hag and United in the current transfer window. Jassim previously wanted 'things done quickly' so he could help Ten Hag in the transfer market, and it looks as if he has big plans at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have brought in Mason Mount from Chelsea in a deal worth a total of £60m, and it looks as if a new goalkeeper is next on the agenda.
Ten Hag’s former goalkeeper at Ajax, Andre Onana, now at Inter Milan, is seemingly the top target to replace David de Gea, with personal terms already agreed. A new verbal proposal of €45m looks set to be made to Inter Milan, although the Serie A side are holding out for €60m.
Should Onana arrive after Mount, a new striker could be looked at, and Jassim seemingly wants to make a sensational statement signing to bring Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe to Old Trafford. Reports have suggested that Jassim feels that the France superstar ‘belongs at Old Trafford’, with the forward into the final 12 months of his PSG contract.
Jassim could look to make an immediate impact, should a takeover go through, however, Mike Keegan has claimed that there could be an approval wait of up to 12 weeks, which may throw a spanner in the works for the Qatari group and result in the Galzers officially remaining in control at the start of the 2023/24 season, but the good news is that it looks like they are about to be named winners of the takeover race.