Sheikh Jassim's stance on new Man Utd bid as contract clause opens door for Qatar takeover

Sheikh Jassim and the Qatari group who failed to complete a £4.5 billion takeover of Manchester United have already confirmed their stance regarding a renewed bid for the Premier League club.

Back in November 2022, the Glazer family announced they were open to a potential sale of the club and, after a lengthy process, Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe were declared the two main bidders.

Jassim had offered around £5 billion for the club, according to a report from the BBC, with £1.4 billion being proposed to finance new stadium plans, training centre facilities and new players.

But after months of speculation, negotiations came to an end in 2023, with Jassim's camp withdrawing from the process.

Almost a year later and Ratcliffe's deal to buy a 27.7 per cent stake in United was completed, although some cost-cutting decisions made by the British billionaire and INEOS have proven unpopular.

Ratcliffe attends the official opening of the refurbished training complex at Carrington. Image credit: Getty

Amid the takeover, a report from The Telegraph revealed the existence of a series of clauses related to the deal, including Ratcliffe's 12-month first refusal if the Glazer family ever decided to sell their Class B shares in United.

The second clause, meanwhile, was a more significant one – a 'drag-along' agreement that could force Ratcliffe to sell his shares after 18 months at United.

It must be noted that this would only happen if the Glazers offered him a cash sum worth £26 per share, with the clause in existence in order to stop Ratcliffe from being able to block a sale if the majority owners wanted it.

A report from the Mail claims the 'drag-along' clause had become active as of Wednesday, August 13.

Sheikh Jassim's stance on making bid for Manchester United again

Jassim and the Qatari group who made a bid for United have since been linked with a renewed offer, but they have 'zero interest' in revisiting a potential takeover.

Ratcliffe, meanwhile, has stated privately that the legal documents relating to the 'drag-along' clause will 'not be coming out of his drawer', according to The Athletic.

An insider told the Daily Mail: "Sir Jim has put in $300 million [£223m] of his own money, which has paid for the £50m upgrade to Carrington.

"It has been a very long time since someone has put some money into Manchester United rather than take it out. To put it simply, if you're the Glazers, what is not to like?"