Manchester United Old Trafford
Alex Crook believes that the interested Qatari group are now the favourites to purchase Manchester United.
The Lowdown: Deadline is looming
The Raine Group – who are assisting the sale of Man United – have set a soft deadline of 10 pm this evening for interested parties to register their bids and interest in taking Man United off of the Glazers’ hands.
There are said to be several interested parties in buying Man United with groups from both Qatar and Saudi Arabia being linked as well as the Red Devils fan himself, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
It has been reported that the Qatari group are going to indeed bid for Man United at some point today which could well put a marker down as to whether or not other interested groups can compete financially with them.
The Latest: Qatari group favourites
Crook has been speaking on TalkSPORT about the interest from Qatar and how they are now firmly favourites to buy Man United given their sheer wealth.
He said: (0:30) “You mentioned Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he was the first really to come out publicly and say that he wanted to buy the club, we’re expecting a big-money bid from Qatar to come in today as well.
“I say big-money, I don’t think it will meet the Glazer family’s £6 billion valuation I think it will be less than that so it’ll be interesting but I think a lot of people who are showing an interest and a lot of people who are maybe considering a bid do believe the Qataris are favourites just because of the sheer volume of wealth in that country.
“I think what’s important to stress is this is a private group of individuals we know the emir of Qatar is actively encouraging people to invest in football clubs following the success of the World Cup at the end of last year but it is a separate company from that who own Paris Saint-Germain.
“That’s crucial because under UEFA rules you can’t own two clubs who compete in the same competition so I would make the Qataris favourites.”
The Verdict: Huge moment in Man United’s history
Given the constant protests and discontent towards the Glazers, if they can attract a number of potential bidders by 10 pm this evening it would be a huge moment in the history of Man United as they may well get their club back.
However, if they were to be taken over by either a group from Qatar or Saudi Arabia it would indeed bring up a huge number of issues including human rights violations that were also fired the way of Newcastle United during their takeover process.
The deadline of 10 pm this evening forces parties to show their hands and prove they’re serious about buying the club and allows the Red Devils to get a deal ironed out prior to the summer transfer window opening.
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