Qataris tipped to buy Tottenham if Man Utd takeover bid fails

Investors from Qatar have been tipped to buy Tottenham if Sheikh Jassim's bid for Manchester United - through his Nine Two foundation - fails.

The Qatari businessman has launched a number of proposals for a full takeover of United from the Glazer family, with his latest bid believed to be a world record in excess of £5 billion.

The Times have claimed that Sheikh Jassim could even return with a bigger bid for the club, following reports that a proposal from his rival in the takeover process, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, technically valued United at a higher amount.

Ratcliffe's bid, is for majority control of the club, and reportedly includes a 'put-and-call' clause that could force the Glazers to sell their remaining shares in 2026.

The current status of the takeover process is unclear, with the Daily Mail claiming that Ratcliffe's camp have been given no indication from the Glazers about where they stand, despite reports from The Sun that he had been named as the 'preferred bidder'.

What is clear, of course, is that if a sale of the club does take place, one of Ratcliffe or Sheikh Jassim will be unsuccessful in their proposal.

And ESPN's Mark Ogden believes that Sheikh Jassim or other Qatari investors should turn their attention to another Premier League club if he cannot take over United.

Qatar tipped to bid for Tottenham

Speaking to The United Stand, Ogden explained: "PSG was a great move [for the club's Qatari owners] because it's Paris, it's a great city, but I think they've found over the years that Ligue 1 is just not big enough. They want the Premier League footprint.

"Somebody told me recently, they said that if the Qataris don't buy Manchester United, they'll be back and they might end up buying Tottenham.

"He said, look, if you've got Manchester City owned by Abu Dhabi, you've got Newcastle owned by Saudi Arabia, if Qataris maybe buy Tottenham, then you've got three clubs who can pull away.

"Every year, it would be United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal fighting for fourth spot, which is quite a terrifying prospect for [them]."

City were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008. They are currently controlled by the City Football Group, of which the ADUG has an 81 per cent share in.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Group (PIF), meanwhile, has an 80 per cent stake in Newcastle.