Manchester United are set to receive a £4 billion bid for the club from the Emir of Qatar.
United were put up for sale by their deeply unpopular owners, the Glazer family, this season and it is believed that they are a target for both the Qatar Investment Fund and INEOS entrepreneur and fan, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The Glazers are said to value the club at around £6bn.
But a first bid from the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is expected before Friday's deadline – making United richer than they ever have been.
Bin Hamad al-Thani is thought to be worth around £276bn – and though that would not necessarily equate to United having that much money to spend it would make plenty of dreams true for the club. Talk of demolishing Old Trafford is one idea, backed by former captain, Gary Neville.
Despite the bid, though, it appears that there are complications that need to be ironed out. The emir owns Paris Saint-Germain via Qatar Sports Investments – and this could be a problem in UEFA competition. The governing body, currently, does not allow clubs that can meet in the same continental competition to have the same proprietor.
But given that both Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig can compete in the Champions League, finding an arrangement should be a formality. According to the Guardian, "A solution is being sought, the current one being to demonstrate that United would not be administered by the same structure and personnel as PSG".
The Glazer family put United up for sale in November, announcing that they were "commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives" after 17 years in control of the club.
It is believed that the Glazers are wanting more money than the Emir is currently offering. However, the emir believes £4.5bn is a realistic price – perhaps reflected in former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton's assertion that clubs outside of London are not worth as much as those in the capital.
Amnesty International has warned that an imminent Qatari bid for Manchester United should be a “wake-up call” to the Premier League to strengthen its ownership rules.
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Formal bids are set to be submitted to buy United. The club had a quiet January window but brought in Marcel Sabitzer on deadline day after Christian Eriksen picked up a long-term injury.
Former United chairman Martin Edwards, meanwhile, has spoken to FFT about how the club's 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup victory helped changed the perception of English football across the continent.
