Manchester Untited ground Old Trafford stadium, home of Manchester United Football Club on August 31, 2022 in Manchester, England.

Manchester United WON’T be sold to Qatar, according to source

February 17, 2023 Sports 3 Views

Manchester United are being linked with a bid from Qatar – but according to one report, there is no bid planned from the Middle Eastern state.

Today is the deadline for bids to be made to buy the Red Devils, with a proposal confirmed to arrive from the likes of lifelong fan and INEOS entrepreneur, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, along with potential interest from Saudi Arabia and the United States. A Qatari bid is expected too, though this is so far unconfirmed.

It had been rumoured that the Qatar Investment Fund (opens in new tab) would be bidding for the club and that the emir of Qatar (opens in new tab), Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, would be in the running. Now, the Independent’s (opens in new tab) Chief Football Writer, Miguel Delaney (opens in new tab), has said that some close to hierarchy at Paris Saint-Germain – another Qatari-owned club – have no knowledge of a bid being made.

Lionel Messi of Argentina kisses the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's Trophy as Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, look on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. — Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, looks on as Lionel Messi is presented with the World Cup (Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“The discussion at executive level of the French club’s Champions League game on Tuesday night was that they were surprised at so much of the coverage,” Delaney states (opens in new tab).

“One source from within Qatar Sports Investments, who are a subsidiary of QIA, said no bid for United would come from either fund.

“There was an acknowledgement that it’s possible a private investor makes an offer, but the political structure of the state means no businessman is really ‘private’, and a venture of this scale would still require high-level sanctioning.

“Other analysts of the Middle East believe it preposterous that they would allow a state project like PSG to be encroached upon.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe also wants to buy Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)

While there have been plenty of rumours of Qatar buying United, conflicting reports mean that this saga could drag on a little longer. The deadline for bids could be extended by two weeks – though a bid for United could come from a variety of sources within Qatar.

The news comes as The Athletic (opens in new tab) have revealed that two-thirds of fans want Sir Jim Ratcliffe to become the new owner.