At the current moment in time, all signs point to Sir Jim Ratcliffe being the next owner of Manchester United. The INEOS chief is reportedly ready to let all six Glazer siblings stay at Old Trafford as he looks to win the battle for the club. And Sheikh Jassim’s sweetener of offering to host NFL matches in Qatar now clearly pales in comparison.
Ratcliffe is a savvy businessman and, after missing out on buying Chelsea last year, is determined to strike gold at the second attempt.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that the 70-year-old is now considering letting all six Glazer siblings stay at the club as part of any potential takeover.
It’s an open secret that brothers Joel and Avram Glazer have been the two most-inclined to stay put.
But now it seems as though their four other siblings will continue to be able to profit from the club – something the family have done ever since 2005.
As far the Glazers go, that’s a pretty tempting offer.
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And it’s certainly far more attractive than the proposition of hosting NFL matches in Qatar.
Back in March, it emerged that Sheikh Jassim was ready to allow that to happen – with that tactic seen as a sweetener.
Yet while the Glazers own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s football (the British kind) where the money really is.
Even if NFL matches were to go to the Middle East, there’s no guarantee they’d sell out and pave the way for more opportunities in the future.
A quick Google search shows little to no information about the sport being played in Qatar.
The first ever game took place back in 2018 but, since then, NFL hasn’t grown like it has in Europe and other areas of the world.
Sure, it could potentially pave the way for the Glazers to get new audiences buying into their franchise.
But given it would mean sacrificing ownership at United, that does’t seem as tempting as the prospect of remaining at Old Trafford.
The Glazers, when they first purchased United, inherited a team that was one of the best in the world.
Sir Alex Ferguson ensured the trophies kept coming prior to his emotional retirement a decade ago.
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United have drifted in the time since, toiling under bosses such as David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Under Erik ten Hag, however, the club finally appear to be heading in the right direction once again.
With United winning silverware this season, while also qualifying for next season’s Champions League, they have foundations to build on.
Success would bring money, cash the Glazers can continue to stuff into their pockets – like they’ve done over the past 18 years.
So Sheikh Jassim may consequently have to change his approach if he’s to achieve his dream of owning the club.
One way of doing that would be coughing up the £6billion asking price the Glazers have long been holding out for.
That’s a steep price, of course. Even for somebody with the wealth and vast financial resources as the Qatari figure.
But, as the saga rumbles on, that may be the only way Sheikh Jassim is able to win the race for a takeover.
Things should become clearer in the coming days now the season is done and dusted.
Yet all signs currently point to Ratcliffe, instead of Sheikh Jassim, rocking up at Old Trafford this summer instead.
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