Sheikh Jassim is reportedly closing in on a takeover at Manchester United in a move that could transform one of Newcastle United's top-six rivals. The Red Devils have been a prominent force in English football for over the last three decades but have not won the Premier League since 2012 under Sir Alex Ferguson.
After a long battle with Jim Ratcliffe to take over from the Glazer family, Jassim's Qatari bid looks to be their favoured bid. Qatari businessman, Zaidm Al-Hamdan. Chairman of the Armasite Group, wrote on Twitter : "Congratulations to Shaikh Jassim Bin Hamad Bin Jassim on his acquisition of @manutd."
The tweet garnered 25,000 likes within 12 hours of posting after Qatari outlet Al-Watan, a news organisation which is 50 per cent owned by Sheikh Jassim's father, also claimed the bid had been successful. However, conflicting reports from the Press Association explained that Sheikh Jassim's camp view the claim of him being successful as 'pure speculation' and that - alongside Ratcliffe's INEOS - they remain remain in a 'holding pattern'.
Jassim is a member of the Qatari royal family but details of his wealth are much less known than his father, who has been involved in running Paris Saint-Germain due to his former role as chair of the Qatari Investment Authority that owns the French club. Sheikh Jassim has since provided evidence that he's a separate entity as UEFA rules dictate that an individual cannot own more than one club in the same competition.
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Sheikh Jassim's wealth has not been documented in the public domain, but according to Forbes his estimated net worth his is $1.2 billion (£892m) which would struggle to compete with most top-end Premier League sides. However, the family as a whole are said to have a collective worth of £275 billion.
It's a number that would blow Arsenal's Stan Kroenke and his Sports and Entertainment empire out of the water. The Gunners owner is worth a reported £11.8 billion ($14.9bn) with stakes in LA Rams, newly crowned NBA champions Denver Nuggets as well as anumber of other franchises.
Chelsea's Todd Boehly has a net worth of just £5.2 billion ($6.4bn) despite being enterprising in LA Lakers and LA Dodgers. The Blues have spent big under his first year of ownership but those results haven't translated onto the pitch just yet.
Newcastle United's Saudi Arabian PIF fund was worth a staggering £315bn, when the takeover was announced. Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour is worth a reported £17 billion, with the financial funds in the Middle East dominating football finances globally.
The Magpies are still some way off operating at their maximum potential given the need to rebuild the club and operate within financial fair play parameters, but Manchester United's impending takeover could see them reaffirm their position as title contenders in the years to come. The Toon's journey to footballing dominance is likely to be some way behind given the size of their rebuild.
