Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi played a role in Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's proposed bid to buy Manchester United amid talks to buy clubs in Spain and Brazil.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is tipped to be the favourite with his strategy of buying United but INEOS chief Ratcliffe is one of the two frontrunners to buy the club along with Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim.
The pair recently submitted more bids, with Sheikh Jassim proposing a complete buyout and Ratcliffe making an offer to take a controlling interest in the club and allow Joel and Avram Glazer to temporarily retain a 20% stake in United.
This week, Sheikh Jassim tabled an improved fifth bid for United but it is still valued below that of Ratcliffe’s and does not meet the Glazers valuation of the club, meaning an end to the process is firmly in sight – although it may not be favourable for the Qatari businessman.
A report in The Athletic, as part of his offer to buy United, Jassim's team initially consulted Al-Khelaifi for advice on United's valuation, after the Glazers wanted £6.4billion for the club. Jassim lodged a fifth and final offer for United earlier this week, which will remain on the table even after Friday's deadline.
Al-Khelaifi’s Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) – who have owned Paris Saint-Germain since their 2011 takeover – are hopeful of expanding their portfolio with minority investments in multiple clubs. Earlier this year, he met with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to talk about potential investment into the club.
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Alongside owning 100 percent of PSG, QSI have a 21.67 percent stake in Portuguese club Braga – widely recognised as the fourth biggest club in the nation – but they are thought to be hopeful of becoming minority investors in another European club in continental competition, alongside at least one South American club.
Indeed, QSI have held talks to invest into two others club in recent months. There has been interest in investing in Spanish club Malaga, who were relegated to the Spain’s third tier ahead of next campaign.
Malaga are currently owned by Abdullah Al Thani – from the Qatari ruling family and a distant relative of Qatar's previous ruler Sheikh Hamad. Despite initial heavy investment into the Andalusian club after buying them in 2010 – including reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in 2012-13 – their fortunes have plummeted since.
Al Thani’s investment into the club dried up and they slid into chaos. They were relegated from La Liga in 2018 and their latest relegation could throw their very existence into question.
QSI are also in the process of examining a move to buy Brazilian giants Santos – who want more economic capacity. They have even asked the club’s president Andres Rueda for the financial accounts of Santos to be studied ahead of a potential move.
The information is detailed in Brazilian outlet Globo which details how the father of Neymar – who started his career at the club before joining Barcelona – has acted as an intermediary in the potential takeover plans.
