Daily Mail has revealed that a Qatar-based consortium of private investors is planning to bid for Manchester United. The group is set to make an offer by Friday, Feb. 17, the deadline set by the club’s current owners, the Glazer family. The British tabloid paper has also revealed that UEFA, the European football governing body, will not block Qatari investors from buying the club.
Qatar Sports Investments already owns the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). This could have been a potential issue, as UEFA’s rule against multi-club ownership states that “no individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.” Still, the proposed takeover bid is coming from a separate entity.
In November 2022, Manchester United released an official statement confirming reports that its board was considering “strategic alternatives” to support the club’s future growth and success. However, the word “sale” was never explicitly mentioned in the statement by the club’s owners. The Glazers have reportedly set an asking price of £6 billion (€6.7bn). The Raine Group, which oversaw Chelsea’s sale last year, is serving as the financial adviser to the Glazers. In a separate report, Daily Mail has also claimed that Elon Mask “is believed to be monitoring the situation closely, and wondering if there is an opportunity at Old Trafford that he should not miss.”
