Journalist drops Man Utd takeover bombshell as Qatar claim made

The group involved in the Qatar-based bid for Manchester United believe there is 'no way' they should be beaten if the key factor in a takeover of the club involves money, a respected journalist has claimed.

The Qatar bid for United has come from Sheikh Jassim, who has made an offer for the club through his Nine Two Foundation.

Both Sheikh Jassim and the Sir Jim Ratcliffe/Ineos bids confirmed publicly that they would be entering the bidding process, and they submitted their offers before the initial soft deadline that was set last month.

There was a second deadline set for Wednesday at 9pm, with US hedge fund Elliott Management reported to have submitted an offer for a minority stake in United before that deadline.

Sky Sports reported that both Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe did not submit fresh bids before the deadline. However, they were granted extensions.

On Thursday evening, Ratcliffe and Ineos confirmed they had submitted a revised offer for United, with the Daily Mirror claiming that Sheikh Jassim is expected to follow suit shortly with a world-record bid of around £5.5 billion.

Now, another report has given a fresh update on the Qatar bid.

Journalist gives key Qatar update as Man Utd bidding process continues

Representatives from the Sheikh Jassim bid - although not the man himself - were present at Old Trafford and Carrington last week to speak to United chiefs.

And according to reporter Matt Dickinson of The Times, there is said to be a belief among the group that, if the final decision on who succeeds in their takeover bid comes down to money, the Qatar-based offer should win.

He writes: "The bid from Qatar, and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, is regarded as favourite simply because of resources.

"As one person with knowledge of that bid put it: 'They are working on instruction not to come back without a deal.'

"The group know that if it is an issue of money then there is no way they should be beaten."

However, should Sheikh Jassim, through his foundation, submit the reported world-record bid, it may still not be enough to match the alleged £6 billion asking price that United's current owners, the Glazer family, want in order to sell the club.