Qatari investors to bid for Man United in coming days, Erik ten Hag will be handed astonishing budget
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Manchester United are set to be the subject of a bid from Qatari owners, who could spend well over £8 billion to return the club to the top tier of football.
It has been a lean 10 years without the Premier League title at Old Trafford, after United dominated the league for the previous 21, winning the title 13 times under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Since the Scotsman's retirement, the way the club has been run by the Glazers has come into stark view, with making money through commercial deals often seen as the objective above winning trophies.
Late last year the Americans revealed that they were looking for new investment into the club, and would also consider a total sale.
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Fans were relieved, but protests have continued, however they know that it would take a huge bid for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owners to sell up.
Britain's richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is a boyhood United fan, was expected to make a bid for the club but the current owners have set a huge asking price.
Now, according to the Daily Mail, that could be met by Qatari investors, who are ready to spend over £6 billion just to buy the club.
They are then expected to spend £2 billion on refurbishing or rebuilding Old Trafford, before competing with the richest clubs in the world for transfers.
The report claims that the investors from the Middle East are 'confident of blowing competitors out of the water,' as they seek to buy football's 'crown jewel.'
"There are significant funds available," a source told the paper, "These people are serious. They want to make sure that United are where they should be and they are confident theirs will be the strongest bid.
T"hey want to strengthen the squad to put them back at the top but they also want this to be for the good of the community.
"They also want to build on the success of the World Cup. They recognise that Manchester United is the biggest football club in the world, the crown jewels, and there is a steely-minded determination to buy it and get it to where it should be."
Officially the club could not be bought by the Qatar Sports Investments, as they already own PSG and the pair could meet in European competition, however, private investors from Qatar could still purchase United.
The Emir of Qatar, head of its absolute monarchy, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, reportedly made a £1 billion offer to the Glazers for the club in 2011.
When that was turned down the family turned their attentions to PSG, winning Ligue 1 eight times since, although they are still yet to conquer Europe.
United's transfer spending under the Glazers has not necessarily been a problem, but they have often been accused of employing money men rather than those who know about football and have allowed facilities to become worse at the club, hence the need for a huge cash injection into the stadium, and the training ground.
Some fans might have issue with Qatari investment, for the same obvious reasons that fans had problem with the country hosting the World Cup, but some will just be glad to see the back of the Glazers, in the same way Newcastle United fans were when Mike Ashley was bought out by Saudi Arabian investment.
The news about the bid for United comes at a time when rivals Manchester City are having issues around their own Middle Eastern owners, following the charges against the club over financial breaches.
Some want to see City stripped of their Premier League titles, which could mean United being awarded three more, but it's expected that Pep Guardiola's side are more likely to be hit by a small points deduction.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Football, Manchester United, Qatar, Premier League
