Sheikh Jassim

SPECIAL REPORT: So little is known about Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari bank manager who lodged a £4billion bid to buy Manchester United on ...

The Glazer family that owns the club are said to be demanding £6billion, although £5billion is thought to be more realistic. In the next stage, they will be given access to the key details around the club's finances, ahead of potentially submitting a formal bid. The bids submitted by Friday evening's deadline are understood to be only indicative of what each interested party is willing to pay for the club. Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi spent much of the last few years engaged in a trade blockade of Qatar, which included attempts to undermine their businesses. UEFA has already provided a precedent of sorts in allowing both RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg to compete in the Champions League, with both clubs funded by soft drinks firm Red Bull. This is a nation, after all, that spent the thick end of $200bn to upgrade their infrastructure to stage the 2022 World Cup. Without doubt he has access to the apparatus of the Qatari state and its untold riches. It is possible that as a 10-year-old he realised Alex Ferguson was on the brink of turning United into a dominant force over the next two decades and jumped aboard their global fanbase. Sheikh Jassim's bid, if successful, will purchase United via an investment vehicle called the Nine Two Foundation, an entity that doesn't yet exist in any meaningful form, and so-named as a nod to the year he started supporting the club. Jassim was born in 1982 and is 40 or 41 (his spokespeople didn't know when asked on Saturday), is apparently a long-time United fan and has been 'passionate' about the club since he was 10 years old. There was nothing illegal in the handovers and the money ended up going to charity, lodged with Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund (PWCF). While his initial bid is about £2bn less than the Glazers' target selling price, access to money should not be a problem.

Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the chairman of Qatar bank QIB, has confirmed a bid to buy Manchester United.

Europa League

The chairman of a Qatari bank has joined the race to buy the Premier League club while Sir Jim Ratcliffe also made his bid for the club official.

More details of the bid will be released, when appropriate, if and when the bid process develops.” A Nine Two statement said: “Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani today confirmed his submission of a bid for 100% of Manchester United. Manchester United were the subject of an official bid of a minimum £4bn on Friday from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, the chairman of QIB, a Qatari bank.