Man Utd takeover: Qatar bid ‘expected’ as David Beckham & Sir Alex Ferguson ‘approached’

Manchester United owners the Glazers are expecting a bid from the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) this week, according to reports.

Speculation grew last week that an offer would come from Qatar for the Red Devils, with various reports differing over the make-up of the interested party. But the Telegraph claims the bid will be submitted from the country’s sovereign wealth fund and would be for the club in its entirety rather than a minority stake.

It remains unclear how this would comply with Uefa rules if Qatar hold investment in United and Paris Saint-Germain, while David Beckham is said to have turned down the opportunity to be attached to the Qatar offer despite his previous commercial and ambassadorial relationship with the Middle Eastern state. Beckham has been approached by a number of interested parties hoping to use him as a PR tool to endorse their bid, as has former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, according to the Telegraph.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports Elon Musk is interested in purchasing the 20-time English champions. They state Musk, who jokingly claimed he was buying United in August, is ‘monitoring the situation closely, and wondering if there is an opportunity at Old Trafford that he should not miss’. The Mail adds there is interest in the Red Devils from Saudi Arabia, although the group would be independent of those who own Newcastle United.

It comes as Friday’s soft deadline for submitting bids approaches. The deadline has been set by investment bank Raine Group, who are overseeing the transaction on the club’s behalf. To date, only Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly expressed his interest in buying United.

Yet there has also been a suggestion that the Glazers may not sell the club after months of speculation and growing interest from parties. Co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer are considering buying out their four siblings’ shares, as per the Manchester Evening News. The brothers are described as ‘reluctant’ to sell United outright and want to remain involved despite the ongoing protests surrounding their ownership.