The Red Devils could look to the Austrian maestro to fill in for their suspended experienced Brazilian general.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s visit to Old Trafford may help his takeover bid for Manchester United, as Sheikh Jassim did not meet with chief executive Richard Arnold in person.
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, the “big difference” between Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe right now is that the former has “heavyweight” financial and legal experts assisting him with the Manchester United takeover, whereas the latter has taken a more personal approach.
What is the latest on the Manchester United takeover?
While the Glazer family may be ready to sell the Premier League giants, much speculation surrounds who might take over in the near future.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was recently spotted in person at Old Trafford as things heat up. However, Sheikh Jassim did not appear 24 hours earlier when his team met with United’s CEO, Richard Arnold (via The Telegraph).
On the UnitedPeoplesTV podcast, Jacobs explained that Sheikh Jassim has more “experts” to help him get a deal done, but by “showing face,” Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have helped his cause.
He stated: “It can’t hurt to be there in person, speaking with Raine representatives all day. We also anticipate that the meetings will last a relatively long time, probably nine or ten hours.
“The main difference between Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s and Sheikh Jassim’s approaches is that Sheikh Jassim has dispatched executives from the banking and finance industries, as well as advisors and their heavyweights. And it’s arguably the best bench in the industry.
“Whereas with Jim Ratcliffe, it’s INEOS in-house, and it’s a mix of business – all the co-founders are there – and sport. So we’ll take a slightly different approach.
“You could also argue that Sheikh Jassim’s delegation had more experts in terms of negotiating, lawyers, and financial experts. But Jim Ratcliffe is showing his face and bringing football experts with him.”
Will the Glazers sell Manchester United?
It is still unclear whether the Glazers will be willing to sell their prize asset. After all, according to ESPN, the family has been “underwhelmed” by the club’s rumored valuations.
Sheikh Jassim, on the other hand, may have just pushed himself ahead in the race, with Sky Sports reporting that he is now “willing to overpay” to get closer to the desired £6 billion figure.
With that in mind, Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have to do more than simply grace the club with his presence. After all, it appears that the Glazers will only be interested in who can make them the best offer.
Even so, you never know what goes on behind the scenes, so Sheikh Jassim may come to regret not attending the recent meeting in person.
