Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim considering bid for Prem rivals as ‘infuriated’ Ten Hag fumes at Glazers
Sheikh Jassim will think about making an offer to take over Tottenham if his bid for Man Utd fails, according to reports.
The Sheikh and his Nine Two Foundation, which is seeking to buy 100 per cent of the club, are no longer engaging with the Glazers after submitting their fifth and final bid for the club earlier this month.
Some observers have interpreted the submission of two additional bids from Sheikh Jassim as an indication that the rival offer from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos is preferred by the Glazers, who reportedly value the club at £6billion.
However, sources close to the Qatari say he is simply keen to bring the matter to a swift conclusion with a crucial summer transfer window for Man Utd coming up.
The fifth and final bid was issued on June 7 and Sheikh Jassim considers it an enormous premium on the current share price of the club, both now and at any stage of the club’s recent share price
Ratcliffe is understood to have made an improved offer on April 28. It has been reported that his offer enables Avram and Joel Glazer to retain a 20 per cent stake in the club, something the Ineos camp has not confirmed.
But with little sign of major progress, ESPN journalist Mark Ogden has claimed that Sheikh Jassim could turn his attention to Tottenham if he fails in his attempts to take ownership of Man Utd.
Ogden told The United Stand: “They want the Premier League footprint.
“Somebody told me recently; they said that if the Qataris don’t buy Man United, they’ll be back, and they might end up buying Tottenham.
“He said, look, if you’ve got Manchester City owned by Abu Dhabi, you’ve got Newcastle owned by Saudi Arabia, if Qataris maybe buy Tottenham, then you’ve got three clubs who can pull away.”
Supporters are becoming increasingly worried that any transfer business could be put on hold until the future of the club is sorted one way or another.
And the Daily Mirror claims that Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is ‘infuriated’ that the Red Devils’ progress is being ‘undermined by the Glazers and the takeover saga.’
Ten Hag identified his summer targets as far back as early spring – ‘but those best-laid plans have stalled, with the Glazers refusing to sanction spending until the takeover situation is resolved, a situation which is understood to have infuriated Ten Hag’.
