Qatar's Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani has come out on top in the race to buy Manchester United, according to reports in the country.
Mail Sport reported over the weekend that both bidders in the battle for United - Sheikh Jassim and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe - were finalising their offers ahead of an expected decision on exclusivity later this week.
At one stage Ratcliffe's Ineos company appeared to be out in front, yet those acting on behalf of Sheikh Jassim have been more optimistic about their chances following the dramatic submission of an improved offer last week.
And according Qatari newspaper Al-Watan, via The Mirror – an outlet owned by his father and the country’s former Prime Minister Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani - Sheikh Jassim has prevailed in his bidding war with Ratcliffe.
Al-Watan posted on Twitter on Monday night that Sheikh Jassim's takeover bid has been a 'success' and that an 'announcement of the deal [will be] soon'.
Sheikh Jassim's bid – understood to be worth around £5billion – is for total control of United, while Ratcliffe's Ineos is for around 60 per cent of the club.
His offer comes with a proposal that would allow United's current unpopular owners the Glazers to remain for a set time period ahead of a sourced buyout.
Yet if Al-Watan's claim indeed holds up, Ratcliffe will have come up short in his effort to purchase United, the club he has supported all his life.
United's takeover saga is now reaching its conclusion after what has been a long-winded seven months of speculation.
The Glazers first announced they were open to a sale all the way back in November, on the same night they confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo had left via mutual consent.
Brendanobi
507
imagine for the past seven months I have been reading this kind of news, may thunder fire Glazer's and ratcliff for wasting my data and time
Visdiklnpy
97
#glazers just sell the club to Qatar 🇶🇦 group we begging you guys in the name of God 🙏🏿 ..We the fun’s don’t want you anymore … you guys are really making united an average club in Europe nothing good is improving in the club …you don’t sell players nor buy players … we tired of these nonsense… city was never better than us in any competition but due to your poor leadership the cooking us in the league for the past 6 years … just sell the club to Qatar that’s what we need from you please 🙏🏿 just leave our club for us our stadium even makes us an average club in Europe .. they don’t really care about the club’s future they destroying our club just leave the club ..we need Qatar to take over the club … we can’t even compete in the league and in Europe .. get better players to compete with our stars.. there is no competition in our midfield and even our forward … weghorst or what ever they call him was even playing in a big club like United … this is really stupid ..so they brought to replace who ? No big player want to play for United due to our poor leadership … get rid of many players in the club … we just need Qatar 🇶🇦 no United fun should even buy tickets for our matches if they don’t sell the club to Qatar group … let’s all demonstrate to get rid of these stupid glazers …we were really dangerous in Europe but we have been downgraded for long due their poor work … nothing good is happening in the club I’m United fun and am even afraid to bet on United matches huh … over the past 5 years just see how our rivals are dominating the league and even broke our treble record also competing in European football … I don’t even remember the last time we won the premier league …from the start of the season , city was fighting to win the league and the champions league and they did it whiles we were fighting to play in top 4 …City was never a big club in premier league but because of what these glazers are doing to the club, they are bigger than us in term of everything… sell the club to Qatar group please ..just leave our club for us .. we the fun’s are really bleeding .. we always emotional 😭💔😭 and scared when playing against the top clubs in Europe …for the past 7 years we can’t even debate in anything… we tired of these glazers ..just leave please we begging you … always negotiating on players but a the end we will see no good results examples are Kane, Diego costs from porto, Neymar ,kolo muani And from how things are going ,Newcastle will win the race to sign Kim from Napoli … and we don’t even know why they wasting time on mount whiles Maddison is available.. which kind of leadership are they … we look like an average club … glazers out .. let’s demonstrate on them to leave if we want the goodness of our club and compete in Europe next season .. because from the point of view now .. we might be lucky if we even qualify for Europa next season … glazers out .. Qatar we need you guys please don’t give up on us 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦🇶🇦 They can even sign Mbappe if they take over and solve our stadium issues … we need Qatar