Rio Ferdinand believes Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani’s takeover bid for Manchester United will imminently be confirmed as successful.
Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim is bidding for the club alongside Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who had been tipped as favourite with his strategy of buying United. The INEOS chief’s offer would see him take a controlling interest in the club and allow current owners Joel and Avram Glazer to temporarily retain a 20% stake in United.
Both the frontrunners recently submitted more bids, with Sheikh Jassim proposing a complete buyout of United. Last week, he tabled an improved fifth bid for United. Should the Qatari businessman be successful, the Glazers would exit Old Trafford immediately.
Ferdinand, who spent over a decade of his playing career at United, now claims to be aware that Sheikh Jassim’s bid will be confirmed as successful within the coming days if not “the coming hours” in an excitable update posted on Thursday.
“The Man Utd takeover is imminent,” Ferdinand said in his Five channel on Youtube. “We are hearing the Qatari bid is the one that has been accepted, the one that is imminent and the one that is going to go through. Hallelujah, man. I cannot wait. Please let this happen.
“Look how long this has gone on for. The Glazers have dug their heels in. It will go to the biggest bidder which is normal in negotiations but I want this to be resolved before the transfer window kicks in and now it is opening and starting to move.”
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Ferdinand continued: “I have woken up every day hoping that every day there will be a bid accepted. We are hearing that it is close. It will happen in a matter of days. If not a matter of hours. If it does not, we do not know how much money we have to spend and United will be playing catch up. So fingers crossed this information is really true – I have it from a good source that it is true.”
At least two of the six Glazer siblings – Joel and Avram – are understood to have preferred an option which would see an outside investor buy a stake in the club to help finance huge capital projects like the redevelopment of the Old Trafford stadium and Carrington training ground. However, a change of ownership is now the likely outcome.
Several US investment companies – Elliott Management, the Carlyle Group and Ares Management – are proposing minority investment into the club, which would see the Glazers remain in position at the head of United but with extra spending power available. Yet that is now viewed as unlikely.
The Glazers are deeply unpopular among supporters after their leveraged buyout in 2005 saddled the club with enormous debts, while on the field the Red Devils having gone a decade without winning the Premier League title. United fans want the Glazers to relinquish the club in its entirety.
