The big Sheikh Jassim fear if Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Manchester United takeover is approved

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The Qatari bid for Manchester United could come off second best to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover offer.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now the frontrunner to succeed with his Manchester United takeover bid ahead of Qatari investor Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani.

At least according to The Sun, which claims Ratcliffe has emerged as the Glazers’ preferred bidder.

Supporters have been split in preference, with many keen to see the super-rich Qatari bid win the race. While still not impossible until a decision is confirmed, the report positions Ratcliffe with the edge.

Manchester United fans Sheikh Jassim fear

Part of the dilemma facing Manchester United fans is that these are now two credible bidders, having gone through years with no realistic chance of a takeover.

The Qatar bid is, financially, everything Manchester United could dream of. Sheikh Jassim has pledged to remove the club’s debt, invest in the team, and infrastructure.

Ratcliffe’s plan is more loose around the edges, publicly at least, and so passing up or failing to land a once-in-a-lifetime offer from the Qatar bid is a mammoth risk.

The financial support would give Manchester United the ability to blow the competition away and take back power. It may be what is necessary

Ratcliffe can also set United on the same path, but in doing so, passing on the Sheikh Jassim offer could create a monster.

The worst possible scenario is that Sheikh Jassim responds to missing out on Manchester United by launching a bid for a rival team.

It may not happen immediately, but it could transpire. There is interest from Qatar in the Premier League in general, and while Manchester United are the most attractive club to own, we are not the only option.

Liverpool are also up for sale, while The Guardian reported Tottenham held discussions with Qataris earlier this year.

The only thing worse than missing out on Sheikh Jassim’s riches, would be to see another team go on to benefit from his insurmountable investment. If that ends up being Liverpool, it would be a nightmare.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe may hold an edge, but there is no agreement formalised publicly yet. The Qatar bid for Manchester United could yet be approved.

If not, we will have to hope Sheikh Jassim’s dalliance with Premier League football does not return in another form, an come back to haunt the Red Devils.