Baku, February 18, AZERTAC

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jaber Al Thani, the chairman of one of Qatar’s biggest banks, has confirmed he has submitted a bid to buy Manchester United, according to TalkSport.

British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also understood to have lodged an offer for the Premier League giants ahead of the ‘soft deadline’ for bids set at 10pm on February 17.

Sheikh Jassim is the chairman of QIB [Qatar Islamic Bank] and claims to be a lifelong supporter of Man United.

The Sheikh’s father, Hamad Bin-Jaber al-Thani, served as the country’s foreign minister and prime minister throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Manchester-born Ratcliffe, meanwhile, is the owner of Ineos and already has a number of sporting investments.

He owns French club Nice and Swiss club Lausanne as well as sailing team Ineos Britannia, while he took over cycling outfit Team Sky in 2019 and has a partnership with Formula 1 team Mercedes.

The Glazer family, who bought Man United in 2005, announced in November they are considering selling the Old Trafford club as they ‘explore strategic alternatives’.

The Raine Group, who are managing the potential sale of United for the Glazers, had asked for initial bids to be tabled by 10pm on Friday.

The amount offered by the Qataris to purchase the club from the Glazers is understood to be £4.5billion and is claimed to ‘be completely debt-free via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation’.

A statement from Al Thani read: “Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jaber Al Thani today confirmed a bid for 100 per cent of Manchester United Football Club.

“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.

“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 the communities the club supports.

“The vision of the bid is for Manchester United 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, and when the bid process develops.”

Ratcliffe released a statement on Saturday to publicly confirm his bid, which is thought to be around £4bn.

They are not the only two parties interested in a full takeover of one of the world’s most historic and famous clubs.

There has also been much speculation of interest from Saudi Arabia and the United States.