The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is interested in buying Manchester United from the Glazer family, according to The Guardian.
The Red Devils are currently up for sale and formal bids are expected for the evaluation process this month.
Earlier today, it was reported that a group of wealthy Qatari investors are keen on a takeover and they are ready to make a formal move within days.
It is now revealed that the Emir of Qatar has entered the race but there are a couple of big stumbling blocks towards a potential deal this month.
The Glazers currently value the club at £6 billion, but Sheikh Tamim is reluctant to offer more than £4.5bn. It is considered as a fair value, according to him.
Meanwhile, a takeover could entirely depend on whether UEFA can be convinced to change their regulation over clubs owned by the same entity.
At the moment, the Emir of Qatar owns Paris Saint-Germain through Qatar Sports Investment (QSI).
Hence, the Red Devils won’t be able to face the French champions in any European competition, suppose QSI takeover the club’s ownership from the Glazers.
Complexity makes deal with QSI unlikely
United need huge investment going forward if they are to catch up with the big spenders in the league.
There has been good progress made under manager Erik ten Hag this term, but more high-profile signings are required such that the club can return to their glory days.
Investment from Qatar seems very likely at the moment, but it may not be through QSI, considering they also own Paris Saint-Germain, who are Champions League regulars.
United and Les Parisiens can’t face each other in Europe at any point of time if they are owned by QSI. This complexity makes the deal highly unlikely to happen for now.
UEFA could of course change the entire scenario. They abolished the away-goal tie-breaker in 2021 and could in future allow clubs owned by the same entity to face each other.
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