"If their bid wins..." - Respected journalist outlines Qatar's plans for Man Utd if they complete takeover

A journalist has revealed Qatar’s plans for Manchester United should their attempts to buy the club prove successful.

Telegraph Sport has claimed that a bid from the Qatar Investment Authority to buy Man Utd in its entirety will come by the end of the week.

In November Man Utd’s controversial owners, the Glazer family announced they were “exploring strategic alternatives” for the club which could involve an outright sale. Since New York merchant bank the Raine Group have set a February 17 deadline for interested parties to place their initial bids.

Qatar’s Investment Authority, which is a sovereign wealth fund worth £368million, will allegedly go toe-to-toe with British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe for the Old Trafford club, with the latter the only person to have gone public with his interest in Man Utd.

However, it is not yet clear how Qatar would tackle UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules should they be successful, given their ownership of French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Qatar’s plans for Man Utd

MailSport journalist Mike Keegan has detailed Qatar’s plans for, should they be successful in their bid.

Keegan claimed in a tweet: “Little bit more info on Qatar/Manchester United” if their bid wins - & they are not here to lose - they would evaluate all depts before making changes.

“Those there would be given an opportunity to impress. Where investment is needed it would be provided - on and off the field.”

News of investment on and off the field will come as a relief to Man Utd fans, with a lack of funding in Old Trafford and the club’s Carrington training ground having been a frequent criticism of the Glazer’s reign.

However, Qatar may have problems purchasing Man Utd given Qatar Sports Investments' ownership of PSG.

UEFA rules claim that no two clubs participating in a UEFA club competition may be directly or indirectly controlled by the same entity. In turn, if Qatar buys Man Utd, the club would not be able to compete against PSG in the Champions League should both teams qualify.

It is widely felt that Qatari funds are distributed from a central source. If this is the case UEFA would have to change its rules on dual ownership for any Qatari bid to be successful.

Topics: Football, Manchester United, Qatar, Premier League, Paris Saint-Germain

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.