Sheikh Jassim's Determination to Acquire Manchester United Remains Strong Despite Prolonged Sale Process

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe remain interested in acquiring Manchester United, undeterred by the lengthy 10-month sale process and the club's ongoing on and off-field challenges.

While the Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim and British industrialist Ratcliffe have submitted bids valuing United at approximately £5bn, the Glazers have been holding out for more lucrative offers.

According to one source, as the demand for more money increases, the value of the asset they are attempting to sell continues to decline. In November of last year, the Glazers disclosed a strategic review, indicating that it could potentially result in a sale. Recently, during a staff meeting, United's CEO Richard Arnold confirmed that the process is still ongoing.

United's poor start hasn't put off bidders

The two bidders' interest in buying United has not been affected by United's disappointing start to the season and off-field problems.

United have suffered defeats in three out of their first five Premier League matches this season. Getafe has acquired Mason Greenwood on a loan agreement, Antony has been granted leave to confront allegations of assault, and Jadon Sancho is currently undergoing separate training sessions from the main squad due to his refusal to apologize for his criticism of Erik ten Hag on social media.

United invested a whopping £183m during the summer transfer period, yet they were unable to secure their desired signings of Harry Kane and Declan Rice, being on the wish list of coach Ten Hag.

Earlier this month, United experienced a significant 18.2% decrease in their share price following The Mail on Sunday's revelation that the Glazers had decided to withdraw the club from the market.

The Glazers have consistently shown reluctance to sell their ownership of the club, as they have never formally listed it for sale. Additionally, American hedge fund Elliott Management expressed interest in investing in the club, potentially allowing the Glazers to retain their majority stake.

Man Utd supporters have been expressing their dissatisfaction with the Glazers' ownership ever since they executed a leveraged buyout to take over complete control of the club in 2005. Currently, the level of discontent towards the Glazer family is at its peak.

According to We News' Kaveh Solhekol, potential buyers of Manchester United have often speculated that there is a high chance the Glazers will not sell the club. He mentioned that there is a theory suggesting that rumors of Jim Ratcliffe emerging as the winner were deliberately spread to encourage a higher bid from Qatar. Likewise, stories about Qatar being the successful bidder were intended to increase the bidding from Ratcliffe. Additionally, news about the sale being called off was supposedly aimed at generating higher bids from both parties.

Solskjaer speaks out

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Harry Kane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, former manager of Manchester United, recently opened up in an in-depth interview for the first time since being relieved of his duties almost two years ago.

In his conversation with The Athletic, Solskjaer revealed that Manchester United had missed out on the opportunity to sign talented players such as Erling Haaland, Moises Caicedo, Jude Bellingham, Rice, and Kane. Additionally, he expressed that he believed Kane had expressed an interest in joining Manchester United.

Solskjaer expressed that signing Cristiano Ronaldo initially seemed like the right decision but ultimately proved to be a mistake. Additionally, he remarked that certain players on his team did not live up to their own perceived abilities.

In an interview with The Athletic, Solskjaer discussed the players that Manchester United had missed out on during his tenure, including Erling Haaland, who had yet to make his debut for Salzburg at the time.

"Declan Rice, who wouldn't have cost what he did in the summer.

"We discussed Moises Caicedo but we felt we needed players ready for there and then.

We were highly interested in acquiring Jude Bellingham, who was previously associated with Man Utd; nevertheless, I understand and respect his decision to join Dortmund.

If given the opportunity, I would have gladly signed Kane on a regular basis. However, due to the financial limitations imposed by Covid-19, the club simply did not have the necessary resources to proceed with the deal.