While there is no official word on the status of the Manchester United takeover, claims attributed to Qatari media are suggesting there could be a positive outcome for Sheikh Jassim.
Sheikh Jassim submitted a fifth and final offer for Manchester United last week. The Mail reported this had been somewhat of a breakthrough for the Qatari bidder.
He is up against Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s Ineos, while there are also minority bids from US investment firms on the table.
The Glazers have remained typically tight-lipped on their intentions and could yet drag the process out for weeks.
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Qatar claim on Manchester United takeover
The social media account for Qatari newspaper Al Watan has published speculation that an announcement is expected.
The tweet reads: “Press reports: The success of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jassim’s acquisition of #Manchester_United..and the deal will be announced soon #Al-Watan_Qatari Newspaper #Doha, Qatar.”
A further tweet from Al Watan editorial director Fahed Al Emadi has backed up this claim that Sheikh Jassim’s offer could be successful.
He wrote: “All the news received indicates the success of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jassim’s acquisition of Manchester United, and the announcement of the deal will be very soon.”
However, it is worth noting that Al Watan is not claiming an exclusive on the takeover, yet, nor is there a report on their website. The tweet instead cites, ‘press reports’ – so make of this what you will.
BBC economic editor Faisal Islam has acknowledged the claims, suggesting they have partly led to a rise in the club’s share price.
He wrote on Twitter: “All our normal sources are keeping shtoom… what we have is significant share price movement in after hours NY trade, which might in turn have been driven by some definitely intriguing tweets apparently from Watan, a newspaper linked to Jassim family & its editor.”
Glazers intentions remain mysterious
This situation remains in the realm of speculation, rather than definitive news. The only ones who know the Glazers’ true intentions, are the Glazers.
There may even be a denial to these claims over the next 24 hours. Various journalists will be briefed by different camps, and the Glazers will want to keep up the intrigue.
However, the current situation of uncertainty cannot drag on forever. Surely there will soon be some clarity.
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