- Sheikh Jassim is believed to have raised his bid to £5.5bn in recent weeks
- The Qatari’s offer fell short of the £6 billion valuation, leading to its withdrawal
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Sheikh Jassim withdrew his offer for Manchester United.
In a bombshell move that opens the door for rival Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Qataris have pulled out of the race for the Premier League giants after becoming increasingly frustrated with the club’s owners, the Glazer family.
Jassim is believed to have made an increased bid in the last few weeks, but again failed to meet the Glazers’ valuation. The offer is thought to have been around £5.5bn, but still short of the £6bn the Americans are thought to want.
Sources revealed that Jassim has been holding further and final discussions and negotiations for the last few days. But after again rejecting his offer – which was for 100 per cent of the club – he decided to end what had been a nine-month saga.
The Katari believed he would have been the ‘dream owner’ according to those with knowledge of the situation, and is saddened by how it played out.
Sheikh Jassim has withdrawn his offer to take over Manchester United from the Glazer family
Sheikh Jassim’s latest offer of £5.5bn fell short of the £6bn the Glazers are believed to want
The withdrawal leaves Sir Jim Ratcliffe in pole position to strike a deal with the Glazer family
Jassim’s move now leaves Ratcliffe in pole position. The British petrochemical billionaire appears to have made the breakthrough with a bid for a quarter of the club, which does meet the Glazers’ valuation.
How the development is received by United fans, who have demanded a complete sale and the departure of the Glazers, remains to be seen.