Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani will not be ending his interest in Manchester United if today’s deadline passes, reports the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson.
The Qatar Islamic Bank chairman tabled a fifth bid for 100% of the Red Devils to the Glazers earlier this week.
The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Friday was the end point for any engagement and that Sheikh Jassim would walk away if his bid was not accepted.
However, Jackson claims ‘it has now emerged that this will not be the case’.
Despite his frustrations having been in talks to buy Man United since November, Sheikh Jassim knows walking away right now makes no sense.
It remains to be seen if he plans to table another bid, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be keeping an eye on things.
The British billionaire will be presented with a considerable advantage if the Qataris walk away.
The OGC Nice owner wants to secure around 51% shares of Man United.
Ratcliffe is ready to leave one or more of the Glazers with a minority share.
He will be able to negotiate with the Red Devils without any competitors if Sheikh Jassim leaves.
The Glazers still want £6 billion for the club, but none of the bidders have met their demands.
Sheikh Jassim’s latest bid includes significant additional investment in infrastructure and recruitment.
The Glazers are not in a rush to reply to the bidders, but an update is expected very soon.
The uncertainty over the club’s ownership is already affecting their plans for the summer transfer window, and manager Erik ten Hag will hope it gets sorted quickly.
