Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe both submitted offers to buy the Red Devils before last month’s ‘soft’ deadline

Another day, another update on the sale of Manchester United.

Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe both submitted offers to buy the Red Devils before last month’s ‘soft’ deadline, but it is believed both bids fell short of the £6billion asking price. Despite their unpopularity in Manchester, current owners the Glazers are in no rush to sell up. They could even delay the sale.

Sheikh Jassim’s bid has received a blow after his father Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani – who is a former Qatari prime minister – admitted: “I don’t like this investment.”

Meanwhile, there are other parties interested in purchasing a minority share in United – keeping the Glazers in charge.

Manchester United’s stars have already landed five-figure bonuses for winning the Carabao Cup, but the payout will only grow if Erik ten Hag’s team secure an unprecedented quadruple.

While the Red Devils have a lot of work to do in the other cup competitions – not to mention the Premier League – they are still alive in all of them. Victory over West Ham on Wednesday night sent Ten Hag’s men into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, while Real Betis await in the last 16 of the Europa League.

A Premier League title is less likely, with Arsenal’s midweek victory over Everton opening up an 11-point gap to third-place United (who do have a game in hand). However, with a quadruple potentially earning star players close to half a million pounds in bonuses, Mirror Football has taken a look at how this compares to other hefty bonus payouts.

Roy Keane has warned Manchester United star Antony that he will be “targeted” by opponents due to his flamboyant playing style.

Antony brought his trick-heavy Brazilian approach to the wing when he joined United in a £85.5million transfer from Ajax in the summer. The 23-year-old has not been shy to bring out the step-overs and showboating while playing for Erik ten Hag’s side this season.

He has contributed six goals and four assists in 26 appearances across all competitions so far. His talent was clear when he scored the crucial goal in United’s 2-1 win over Barcelona in the second leg of their Europa League knockout clash last week.

Mason Greenwood could face a TV interview as part of a phased plan to return to the Manchester United squad, it has been claimed.

The attacker remains suspended by the Red Devils after charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive behaviour were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service last month. Greenwood has been suspended by United since January 2022 with an internal investigation ongoing.

The striker has a contract with United that runs until the summer of 2025 and he continues to receive his £75,000 per week wages in full. The option of Greenwood returning to the first-team squad remains on the table, depending on the outcome of the investigation.

Manchester United’s transformation from their last Anfield outing has been nothing short of remarkable and Erik ten Hag must take almost all of the credit.

The Dutchman was not yet in the Old Trafford hot-sat when United last faced Liverpool on their own patch, but he’d have been concerned with what he saw as a Ralf Rangnick-led Red Devils side were put to the sword and beaten 4-0 by arguably their most fierce rivals.

United found themselves 2-0 down inside 22 minutes after goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah before Sadio Mane added a third and Salah capped off the dominant display by securing his brace. The travelling Red Devils faithful could barely watch as Liverpool ran riot.

Gary Neville has insisted that Arsenal and Manchester City can’t exactly relax with in-form Manchester United breathing down their necks in the title race, especially with the form Casemiro is in.

Currently, it is the Gunners who sit top of the pile on 60 points. That tally is five more than second-placed City and 11 more than third-placed United, who Neville has conceded he doesn’t feel will be able to go the distance this term despite a promising debut season under boss Erik ten Hag.

With that being said, the ex-Old Trafford regular has singled out one United player in particular who Neville feels will be giving both Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola a headache as the campaign’s final furlong approaches.

It’s fair to say Cristiano Ronaldo is enjoying himself in Saudi Arabia after leaving Manchester United.

Ronaldo, 38, has scored eight goals and provided two assists in just five Saudi Pro League games since joining Al-Nassr in January.

The Portugal international has taken the division by storm and will be looking for more goals against Al-Batin on Friday evening.

Erik ten Hag has been handed a familiar boost in his long-running pursuit of Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong.

The Manchester United manager made De Jong, 25, his top transfer target last summer but ultimately failed in a move, despite the two European heavyweights coming to a £56million agreement in July.

Disappointingly for Ten Hag, the midfielder dug his heels in to stay at “dream club” Barcelona, even though the LaLiga giants made him feel unwanted and hoped that his sale would help remedy their well-documented financial woes.

Nearly a year on from when reports first emerged that De Jong was being targeted by his former boss at Ajax, Barca’s situation hasn’t changed and they’re still in desperate need of cash.

Camp Nou chiefs have been told they won’t be able to sign any new players this summer and must raise £178m; a boost to Ten Hag, who recently laid out his six-man transfer shortlist.

Javier Tebas has warned Manchester United’s potential suitors they will need to clear the club’s debt.

INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani have both submitted bids to purchase United from the Glazers.

Yet LaLiga chief Tebas has told them: “In the case of Man Utd, the purchaser knows that it has to pay for the takeover and the losses.”

LaLiga’s president insists he will “have to repeat” his criticism of Paris Saint-Germain if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani completes a takeover of Manchester United.

Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim is trying to purchase 100 per cent of the club from the Glazers, who put the Red Devils up for sale last November. Sheikh Jassim has insisted the bid is via his ‘Nine Two Foundation’ – completely separate from the Qatari state – but is yet to convince everyone that is the case.

LaLiga chief Javier Tebas has previously labelled PSG – who are owned by Qatar Sports Investment, a subsidiary of the country’s sovereign-wealth fund – as the “enemy”. He has called for football’s governing bodies to “pay attention” to Sheikh Jassim’s bid.

The father of would-be Manchester United owner Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani insisted his son’s bid for the club should simply be treated as an investment opportunity.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar, dismissed suggestions the debt-free takeover would be used as an “advertisement” for his country.

Sheikh Jassim is the chairman of one of Qatar’s largest banks and is the face of a bid for a full takeover at Old Trafford submitted last month.

Amnesty International has raised concerns that Qatari tycoons with intrinsic links to the country’s rulers buying United would represent a concerning case of sportswashing.

However, Sheikh Hamad, who it’s believed is bankrolling his son’s bid – has little interest in using the Red Devils as a means to enhance Qatar’s reputation… or even owning the club at all.

The Glazers are listening to minority offers for Manchester United and could remain in charge of the club once the takeover saga ends.

United’s unpopular owners put the Premier League club up for sale last November and received two confirmed offers for full ownership from Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe ahead of last month’s ‘soft’ deadline.

The Glazers are yet to accept a bid for United and more offers – including minority bids – are expected to be made during the coming weeks. Such offers will not be welcomed by those Red Devils fans who want the Glazers to sell up after a decade of stagnation.

We’ve reached an impasse with the sale of Manchester United.

The Glazers want £6billion to part with the club which they’ve owned since a debt-leveraged buy-out in 2005. They are not in a rush to sell, however, and after receiving initial bids they are sitting tight in the hope that they can drive a harder bargain.

The Qatari bid is backed by huge wealth and may be tempted to pay over the odds to get the asset they want.

Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK’s economic affairs director, believes the scrutiny on Newcastle should also extend to Manchester United’s Qatari bid.

He said: “The Premier League will surely need to re-examine the assurances made about the non-involvement of the Saudi authorities in the Newcastle deal, not least as there’s still a Qatari bid for Manchester United currently on the table.”

Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley has dismissed the idea that Saudi Arabia might be interested in buying Manchester United.

Speaking at the FT Business of Football summit she said: “I don’t think so. That’s not my belief. I can’t speak for PIF but I don’t see that.”

Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe both submitted offers to buy the Red Devils before last month’s ‘soft’ deadline

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