"Secret Talks" over Man United takeover - Glazers Deny

"Secret talks" were apparently held between a Qatari consortium whom we can safely presume are incredibly rich and the vastly unpopular Glazer family and current owners of Manchester United over a possible takeover. "Great!" Manchester United fans would think, but alas, the Glazers have once again denied that any talks were held, and reiterated that the club is not for sale whilst reportedly waiting for around £2 billion for Manchester United, not the £1.5 billion that has seemingly been tabled.

The following is from The Guardian:

"A Qatari consortium is reported to have offered £1.5bn to buy Manchester United from its current owners, the Glazer brothers, after holding secret talks.

But the club yesterday denied that there has been any approach and reiterated that Manchester United is not for sale.

It is understood, however, that an approach from Qatar Holding – an investment group controlled by the Qatari royal family – took place shortly after the Arab state had secured the right to stage the 2022 World Cup finals.

Discussions are said to have foundered because of the asking price. The Glazers value the club at close to £2bn, which is more than the Qatar group, which recently agreed a record £125m shirt deal with Barcelona, was initially prepared to pay.

The Glazers paid £800m for the club in 2005, the majority of which was provided by loans secured against the club's assets. The borrowings are now believed to stand at around £530m.

Football sources believe Qatar, keen to raise its profile still further in the game, will return with a higher offer."

The Glazer family's reluctance to sell Manchester United, a club in masses of debt has been incredibly frustrating for Red Devils fans, most of whom would welcome a takeover from a ridiculously rich group. This, a group who could inject masses of money into the club for transfers as well as clearing all of the debt. There will be more waiting for a takeover it therefore seems, as the Glazers keep their fingers tightly around one of the most successful football clubs in the world and wait for a bid of at least £2 billion. Will anyone or any group rummage through their pockets for an amount so vast? Lets hope so.

Qatar Holdings in £1.5 Billion Manchester United Takeover

The news is that Manchester United are close to being taken over by Qatar Holdings in a massive deal worth £1.5 billion.

Qatar Holdings’ chairman, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, who is currently Qatar’s prime minister, is said to be keen on the idea of taking over one of the biggest clubs in he world in Manchester United after Qatar's controversial 2022 World Cup bid win.

This is obviously good news for Manchester United fans who have done their utmost to get rid of the current American owners, the Glazer family. The Green and Gold campaign and the constant protests against the Americans due to the amount of debt that they have put the club in have had little effect. But now that a super rich company are waving £1.5 billion in front of the faces of the much hated owners, this spell of hostility may be about end.

However, there is one thing that the Glazer's have given Manchester United which Sir Alex Ferguson will be thanking them for. That is the freedom to run the team as he wants. Throughout the Americans ownership, they have stayed out of the way of Ferguson - letting him manage the team with freedom that other managers of clubs could only dream of. Ferguson's position at the club was always going to be safe, but at clubs like Chelsea, when managers are being sacked every other season, the stability that they have allowed at the club on the pitch has probably been the only good thing that can be squeezed out of their ownership period.

The impression Ferguson gives is that if he wants to buy a player, he can. He will be provided with the money which David Gill claims the club have to spend on players. The difference if the new owners arrive is that money will be guaranteed and the club will no longer be burdened with debt. Some pretty good plus points there, it has to be said.

If the prospective new owners are to come in, to be popular with fans, they must listen to them, and work with them to improve the club situation. The money will obviously be there for Ferguson and any other future managers to spend, so recruiting new players won't be a problem, but they must keep an interest in the football as well, and not be swayed into making knee-jerk decisions as was made by the new Blackburn owners. Manchester United must stay as the proud, successful club that it has been in football, and guaranteed stability is key to that.