Sheikh Jassim submits fifth and last bid to buy Manchester United

Sheikh Jassim has probably made his last offer to take over as United owner

Sheikh Jassim has concluded his final offer to purchase Manchester United and will no longer pursue the takeover of the club.

No additional offers from the Qatari group will be submitted; Sheikh Jassim will stop participating in the negotiations on Friday.

With an upgraded offer of no more than £5.5 billion, which involves the cancellation of the £1 billion debt and the creation of a fund specifically for the team and the neighbourhood, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani has made a stunning fifth bid for Manchester United.

According to L'Équipe, "Qatar's offer is 5.8 billion euros, with an additional 1 billion euros injected into the club's development and infrastructure."

After Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of Ineos, each made what were anticipated to be their final offers for United, over two weeks had elapsed. Ratcliffe's offer was believed to be for a holding of just over 50%.

Meanwhile, the Qatari bankers were close to £5 billion for 100%. This left Avram and Joel Glazer, two of the family members who together own the majority of the stock, with a share of 20%.

In order to gain the Glazers' preferred bidder status, Sheikh Jassim increased his asking price by about £1 billion, paid off the debt, and established a fund that would only be used for the club and the neighbourhood. When the club first went on the market, the family put a £6 billion valuation on it.

It is unknown how Ratcliffe, one of the wealthiest people in Britain who also manages the French club Nice, is going to react. 

The US companies Elliott Investment Management and the Carlyle Group have shown an interest in doing this, but a third possibility is that any or all of the Glazers keep their own interests and invest in the club.

In contrast to Sheikh Jassim's intended purchase, it is believed that his proposal is for a large number of shares at Old Trafford rather than full ownership of United.

However, now Sheikh Jassim has put in a mouthwatering bid to buy the club, which could tempt the Glazers family to finally step down as owners of Manchester United.