Manchester United will not be taken over by Qatari ownership after a drawn-out process has led to the main buyer pulling out of the bidding process.
BBC Sport were informed that banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani had withdrawn from the process after placing a £5 billion bid for the club, which now leaves Ineos Group - headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe - as the sole bidder for the Reds.
Sheikh Jassim's bid would've also cleared the debt at the club - which currently stands to almost £1 billion.
Confusion over the current owners - the Glazers - preferred sale options (selling a minority stake vs outright ownership of the club) led to a lengthy takeover process involving Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe - and it appears that timeline has now stretched out too long for the Qatari.
Other reports say that Sheikh Jassim and his consortium refused to raise their offer to meet the Glazers changing expectations, leaving the bidding process in frustration.
The withdrawal of Jassim from the process has rocked plenty of United fans, who have taken to X/Twitter to fume over the news, blaming the Glazers for the predicament:
Ratcliffe remains the last party standing and is holding out for a minority deal in United - which will leave fans further frustrated as it keeps the Glazer family in control for the time being. It is thought that Radcliffe's deal will be the first step in a prolonged buyout with eventual control passing to Ratcliffe in the years to come.
Ever since their takeover in 2005 using a leveraged buyout, the Glazers have found themselves in the crosshairs of MUFC fans who believe that the current owners are heaping debt onto the club and holding it back from its full potential.
The pressure on the Glazers will now raise, though, as United fans struggle to process the reasons as to why Jassim's massive bid was rejected.
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