Qatar make move to buy Spanish club amid growing uncertainty over Man Utd takeover

Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), chaired by Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is exploring the possibility of buying a controlling stake in Spanish club Malaga, Metro reports.

It comes amid a group led by Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani joining the bidding process to buy Manchester United. The Glazers have pushed back their deadline to complete a sale of the club with the ownership situation at Old Trafford still unclear.

Malaga are currently owned by Abdullah Al Thani – from the Qatari ruling family and a distant relative of Qatar’s previous ruler Sheikh Hamad. Despite initial heavy investment into the Andalusian club after buying them in 2010 – including reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in 2012-13 – their fortunes have plummeted since.

Al Thani’s investment into the club dried up and they slid into chaos. They were relegated from La Liga in 2018 and appear to be set for another relegation this year, into Spain’s regionalised third tier – which could throw their very existence into question.

However, Malaga remain an attractive proposition to investors due to their history, fanbase and potential of being a one-team city. For any sale to be considered, Al Thani would have to deposit €9million to free-up the sale of 51 percent of the club’s shares.