According to The Daily Mail the royal family of Qatar is preparing a fresh £1.5billion (RM7.4 billion) bid for Manchester United after the Glazers rejected an earlier offer.
A source close to the oil-rich emirate’s ruling Al Thani family confirmed that it tried to tempt the Glazers earlier this month with an offer of just over £1bn (RM4.9bn). The bid was turned down by the Americans, who are holding out for closer to £1.8bn (RM8.9bn). But the Al Thanis are on the verge of raising the stakes, partly motivated by rivalry with the Abu Dhabi royal family, whose wealth has transformed United’s arch-rivals Manchester City into title contenders.
Going head to head on the pitch would give the Al Thanis the opportunity to get one over on their Gulf neighbours, with the Manchester football scene offering a high-profile battleground. United strenuously deny that they have received any bid from Qatar Holdings, a division of the Qatar Investment Authority, which identifies ways to make a return on the country’s oil billions. But the source indicated the offer could be made privately, or through a separate vehicle owned by the Al Thanis.
