Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani has made a dramatic fourth bid for Manchester United, with an improved offer of no more than £5.5bn which includes the clearance of the £1bn debt and a fund solely for the club and surrounding community.
More than two weeks have passed since Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos owner, each submitted what were supposedly final bids for United. The Qatari banker’s offer then was close to £5bn for 100%, while Ratcliffe’s was thought to be for a stake of a little over 50%, leaving Avram and Joel Glazer, two of the siblings who collectively own a majority share, with a 20% stake.
