London: Manchester United have reportedly opened talks with Qatari investors as speculation heats up over the future ownership of the Premier League giants ahead of a deadline for bids.
The American Glazer family, who completed their takeover of the 20-time English champions in 2005, announced in November that they were open to selling or investing.
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos company officially joined the race to buy the club last month – the only bidder to publicly declare interest so far.
Potential buyers are understood to have offers until February 17.
JEE News said a group of private investors from Qatar want to buy United and have held talks with the club’s governing body, confident they will have the strongest bid.
JEE News reported that Qatari ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani is interested in buying United, just weeks after the energy-rich Gulf state hosted the World Cup.
But Emir bought French champions Paris Saint-Germain in 2011 through Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) – meaning an outright purchase of United would not be allowed under current UEFA regulations.
Britain’s Press Association said QSI was considering buying a minority stake in United or another Premier League club.
The organization is a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, which has hundreds of billions of dollars in assets.
QIA chief executive Mansoor Al-Mahmood told Bloomberg last month: “Sovereign wealth funds are becoming investors in some clubs and you wouldn’t be surprised if we invest in that (area), but we are a Again the core process and making sure that if we do invest, it’s very commercially driven for our future generations.”
Amnesty International said Qatar’s interest in United should serve as a “wake-up call” to the Premier League’s ownership rules.
“In the wake of the World Cup and the Qatari government’s desperate efforts to create a shiny new image for the country, it seems likely that any Qatari bid for Manchester United would be a continuation of this state-backed sports washing project. ” Amnesty UK’s Director of Economic Affairs Peter Frankenthal said
