It is not an unpopular opinion to say that only a full sale of the club, by the Glazers, will satisfy most of the Manchester United fan base. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim would agree. Both have launched their third bids to buy the club, and apparently, we have a new frontrunner.
Ratcliffe, according to reports, values the club higher than Sheikh Jassim’s standing offer of £5 billion. The Qatari banker, who had been the leading candidate throughout he process thus far, now takes a back seat to the INEOS Owner and CEO.
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As we wrote yesterday, the MUFC potentially getting taken over saga has seen many plot twists already. And that we should expect a few more before this narrative reaches completion. Today certainly qualifies.
According to the Daily Mail, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has offered to buy either 69% of the team, for supreme controlling interest, or just over 50%, so that he would have majority interest, but not push the Glazer family out completely.
Sheik Jassim, on the other hand, would buy 100% of the club, and he has expressed his intent to further invest and expand the club. Thus he remains confident his bid will succeed, despite Ratcliffe being the favorite right now.
I think you can guess who the fans want to win the bidding war.
Both bids have surpassed the £5 billion barrier, and thus have exceeded the the world record for a sports club, of £4.77bn, agreed upon for the Washington Commanders.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.