Qatar Sports Investments are interested in purchasing a stake in Manchester United, The Athletic has confirmed.
Qatari investment group currently own Paris Saint-Germain outright, which – as previously reported by The Peoples Person – would preclude them from initiating a full takeover at Old Trafford.
UEFA rule do not allow two teams owned by the same group to compete in the same European competition, which would making any potential ownership of both clubs impossible.
But that has not dampened QSI’s interest in United’s availability on the market. The group already has a minority stake of 22% in Portuguese club SC Braga, and could look to control a similar proportion of Manchester United should they follow up on their interest.
In Adam Crafton’s article, he claims that QSI have held “exploratory internal conversations” as well as discussions with third-party advisors regarding the possibility of potential involvement with United.
Some of those advisors suggested to QSI that the Glazer family had no real intention of selling a minority share in the club, and were merely positing the possibility in order to bring more bidders to the table, potentially driving up the price of a full sale.
As such, no discussions have taken place between QSI and the Raine Group – who are handling the operation on the Glazers’ behalf.
Should those advisors prove to be correct about the Glazers having no interest in the sale of a minority stake, it will be fantastic news for United fans.
Such a sale would allow the Glazers to remain in control of the club, continuing their 17-year tenure that has seen the Red Devils fall behind their rivals in terms of infrastructure and on-pitch performance.
But if the possibility has only been put forward to draw out more potential bidders, it will almost certainly mean that the Tampa Bay family are on their way out for good.
At this stage, the process remains fluid, and there is still every possibility that a minority stakeholder emerges, but the fact that QSI are moving onto other targets – namely, Tottenham Hotspur – in their bid to involve themselves in the English Premier League is encouraging.
By mid-February the picture will become clearer, given the deadline for offers set, as reported by The Peoples Person earlier this month.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has declared his intention to buy United outright, but he will face stiff competition from American private equity firms, as well as tech firms.
The Raine Group are also expecting a consortium to emerge from Saudi Arabia, although in that case it would need to be one separate from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, who recently purchased Newcastle United.
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