Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are prepared to play the long game in their respective wish to buy Manchester United, with the process now approaching 10 months since the Glazers served notice of the potential sale of the club, The Guardian reports.
While Sheikh Jassim’s representatives are now unsure if the American family still wishes to let go of the club, those acting for Ratcliffe are more confident they are intent on selling. Neither Sheikh Jassim, a Qatari banker, nor Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest people, have set a timeframe regarding a resolution.
The Mail on Sunday reported this month that the Glazers were holding out for a much higher bid, potentially as much as £10bn. The report said the Glazers would wait until 2025 to sell the club when increased television rights revenues and the expansion of the Club World Cup could make United more valuable.
There has been no official confirmation or denial of the Mail on Sunday story, which led to the steepest single-day fall in United’s share price. Shares in the club dropped by 18.2% on the Tuesday following the story, to $19.35, the biggest daily drop since they were listed on the New York stock exchange in 2012.
