Manchester United's protracted takeover continues to rumble on and has reached its eighth month following the Glazers' announcement to "explore strategic alternatives for the club" back in November.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe was the first interested party to throw his hat into the ring to become the club's next owner, with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani later also entering a bid to purchase the club. Since then a further four rounds of bidding have taken place with the two billionaires vying to be named preferred bidder by US investment firm Raine Group, which is handling the sale.
Sheikh Jassim is offering to take 100 per cent control of United, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe would take a controlling stake that would allow Joel and Avram Glazer to stay ahead of a phased departure in the future. Any new regime would likely make big changes behind the scenes, with both parties promising to return United to the pinnacle of world football.
After submitting his initial bid for the club in February, a statement from Sheikh Jassim's camp read: "The bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch and - above all - will seek to place the fans at the heart of Manchester United Football Club once more.
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"The bid will be completely debt-free via Sheikh Jassim's Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience, and communities the club supports.
"The vision of the bid is for Manchester United Football Club to be renowned for footballing excellence, and regarded as the greatest football club in the world. More details of the bid will be released, when appropriate, if and when the bid process develops."
Further details are yet to be officially released, although some hints at how the Qatari would structure United should his takeover prove successful have been dropped. Should he take charge, there are several changes the Qatari could make.
Sheikh Jassim's Nine Two Holdings Limited was officially 'incorporated' by UK government agency Companies House on Thursday, June 15, with the Sheikh listed as one of two directors. Abdulrahman Abdulla Al Ansari is also listed on the documents - hinting that he could be in line for a similar role should Sheikh Jassim's takeover go through.
It has also been claimed that the Qatari would also welcome the club's former players into senior roles at Old Trafford. A number of former stars who played under Sir Alex Ferguson have since been linked with roles.
Reports have suggested Sheikh Jassim is open to the idea of welcoming Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back to United if his takeover bid is successful. As reported in May, the Qatari wants to bring club legends back to Old Trafford if he becomes United's next custodian, with The Mirror claiming Solskjaer could be one of them despite being sacked as manager in November 2021.
And Solskjaer himself has hinted he could be open to a return to Old Trafford. Speaking at an event last month, Solskjaer said: "I’ve got another job in me, if it’s the right chance and exciting enough.
"There are so many clubs, but I’m not going to work just for the sake of working. It has to be something special, a new culture, or a club that really excites me. Or maybe they will want me back at the club [United] in some capacity, who knows?"
If he does implement a restructure, it appears Sheikh Jassim may be happy to leave the decision-making to whoever he places in charge at Old Trafford. Martin Lowe, Asian Football Writer for the Asian Game, told the Manchester Evening News about Sheikh Jassim’s background in football in Qatar - and his previous role at Qatari outfit Al Sadd.
He said: "Sheikh Jassim was briefly president of Al Sadd at the early part of the century. Clubs in Qatar aren’t owned per se, instead they are funded by the state. Presidents are nominal powerful roles, but the day-to-day running is left to the CEO."
If his bid is successful, Sheikh Jassim will need to finalise a deal with the Glazers and pass the Premier League's owners' and directors' test before taking charge of United. It could take weeks, if not months, for the takeover saga to be finally settled.
Only then will United fans get a real idea of how the club's hierarchy could look under his potential leadership - if he beats Sir Jim Ratcliffe to become the new owner.
