Man Utd takeover: Qatar have ‘3-2 lead’ as Sir Jim Ratcliffe claim made & transfer plans explained

Uncertainty and confusion continues to surround Manchester United’s takeover process, with reports varying on what stage the saga is currently at.

A flurry of reports in recent days have claimed the Qatari offer, which is headed by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, was close to being confirmed as the prime candidate to complete a takeover. Reuters said the club were ‘negotiating granting exclusivity’ with the Qatar delegation, while ex-Red Devil Rio Ferdinand claimed he’d been told by a reliable source that the Gulf state was about to complete a takeover ‘imminently’.

Earlier in the week, Al-Watan, a Qatar-based news outlet, had claimed Sheikh Jassim had won, while Faisal Islam, the BBC’s Economics Editor, said the Qatar offer was in the lead as the takeover process entered its ‘endgame’. Meanwhile, on Thursday he tweeted to say ‘Qataris go 3-2 up in 89th minute’.

But reports elsewhere on Thursday suggested that no form of exclusivity had been granted and the BBC’s Simon Stone said that talks continue with ‘multiple parties’. This includes Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the only other party interested in completing a takeover, while it’s claimed several US hedge funds have offered to make an investment that would allow the Glazers to improve club infrastructure, but remain in control.

In the midst of the widespread reports surrounding Sheikh Jassim, the Times report it is still Ratcliffe and his Ineos-backed approach that ‘remain favourites’, as his offer values the club at a higher price than the Qatar bid. On the reports that Sheikh Jassim is close to being awarded exclusivity, the Times add: “The truth is that all bidders are continuing to put things in place in anticipation of what they hope is a successful bid.”

The Daily Mail report something similar and state that ‘no preferred bidder had been chosen’, but the ‘approval and closing process’ once a takeover is complete could take between 8-12 weeks to ratify. That would mean a new owner will not be in place for the start of the 2023/24 season. However, the Mail claim this will not impact Erik ten Hag’s transfer plans, and the club are operating with a budget of £120m, although that could increase depending on outgoings.