Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim could make a sensational offer to purchase Manchester United’s Premier League rivals Tottenham after failing in his bid to take control at Old Trafford, claim reports.
Last week the Qatari bid, spearheaded by Jassim, withdrew from the race to buy United after it emerged Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s offer for a minority stake was more appealing to the Glazer family.
The INEOS boss, a boyhood United fan, initially lodged a bid for a majority stake in the club when the Glazers announced last November that they were open to either bringing in investment or completing a full sale.
But after a prolonged impasse, Ratfcliffe submitted an adjusted offer, believed to be in the region of £1.4billion, for a 25 per cent stake in the club in the first step in what is being viewed as a staged buyout.
This has left the Qatari businessman, who has close ties to Paris Saint-Germain’s owners QSI, out in the cold but still with a desire to gain a foothold in English top-flight football.
According to the Mirror, Jassim could now turn his attention to Tottenham, who entertained an meeting with QSI boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi earlier this year.
In January Mail Sport reported that a QSI takeover of Spurs was unlikely, despite owner Joe Lewis’s preference, because of UEFA restrictions and their ownership of PSG.
However, while Qatar Sports Investments may be unable to invest, it is possible that a consortium led by Jassim could make a shock move for the club.
Jassim and his group were ready to part with £5.5bn, with a further £1bn to be invested into modernising Old Trafford and acquiring new signings.
Spurs have no such issue with infrastructure given their state-of-the-art £1bn new stadium.
And the price for the London side, though huge, will be considerably less than the proposed fee required to acquire the nation’s biggest club.
