Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has submitted a new bid to buy Manchester United which is believed to be worth around 5 billion pounds ($6.12 billion), Sky News reported on Saturday.
Sheikh Jassim, a son of Qatar’s former prime minister, launched the bid in February. A spokesperson representing Sheikh Jassim said at the time that the bid was completely debt free, via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation.
Manchester United did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus also placed a bid on Thursday and told Reuters that he was willing to pay a premium for the English soccer club.
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, a life-long United fan and founder of chemicals producer INEOS, put in a bid for the club in February.
United’s current owners, the Glazer family, began looking at options for the record 20-times English champions in November, including new investment or a potential sale, 17 years after they bought the Old Trafford club.
Any sale of the club would likely exceed the biggest sports deal so far, the $5.2 billion including debt and investments paid for Chelsea, sources told Reuters previously.
United’s Premier League rivals Liverpool have also said they would explore the option of bringing in investors , while Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi was set to launch a $3.75 billion bid for Tottenham Hotspur , sources told Reuters in February.
United are the fourth richest soccer club in the world, according to analysis by Deloitte . They are widely seen as one of the most prized assets in all of sport.
-Reuters
