The Qatar-based group which failed in a bid to buy Manchester United has not been approached, amid reports the Glazer family are considering selling the club.
And Daily Mail Sport understands that, even if that contact was to be made it would be ‘highly unlikely’ that they would make an offer, as things stand.
Rumours have been swirling for some time that the Florida-based Glazers were looking into ending their 21-year era at Old Trafford and cashing in.
A report last night by Bloomberg claimed that various members of the family wanted out, and were attempting to convince others to join them
United have declined to comment, while senior club sources emphatically dismissed the story. The notoriously-private Glazers could not be reached for comment.
In 2023, Daily Mail Sport revealed that a Qatar-based group was to make a bid for the Premier League giants after the Glazers had invited offers.
Rumours have been swirling for some time that the Glazer family could sell their stake
The Qatar group – led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani – have not been approached
However, it is understood that the group has not been contacted either formally or informally to gauge their interest.
Should that change, it is expected that any attempt to trigger a new bid would currently be met with short shrift.
The group, fronted by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, remains scarred from its experience more than three years ago. It made a final offer of around £5bn for full control of the club, only for the Glazers to instead sell an initial 25 per cent to Sir Jim Ratcliffe for £1.3bn.
As things stand, they would have ‘no intention’ of returning to the table. Last August, we revealed how a ‘drag along’ clause in the Glazers’ deal with Ratcliffe came into force, paving the way for the Americans to sell up, should they wish to do so. At the time, sources in Qatar disclosed that there was no appetite to go again, and that position is understood to remain the same.
Following Ratcliffe’s investment, the Ineos petrochemicals billionaire was given control of operations at United. He quickly oversaw a wide-ranging review of the business, cutting hundreds of jobs and reducing expenditure in the process.
United’s latest figures showed an operating profit of £37.7m for the nine months to the end of March and they are forecasting they will generate an extra £10m in revenue by the end of the year, despite a season without European football or a training kit partner.
Under interim manager Michael Carrick they finished third last season, securing a lucrative return to Champions League football. They remain in discussions over whether to build a new, 100,000-capacity stadium or carry out significant renovations to Old Trafford.
