Qatari Report: Manchester United sale has finally concluded

After a long-awaited process to find out the next Manchester United owner, emerging reports have claimed a winner out of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Reports from the Qatari outlet Al-Watan, owned by a member of the Al Thani family, claim that Sheikh Jassim has been successful in his bid to purchase the English club.

It was added that the announcement of the deal will be coming ‘soon’.

This follows on from English reports saying that the two bidders would find out their fate this week.

Ratcliffe was previously believed to be in the driving seat for the United takeover before Sheikh Jassim’s latest bid was made last week.

He set a deadline for negotiations when making that last offer, which was said to have initiated a ‘breakthrough’ according to insiders, as reported by takeover expert Mike Keegan.

The two billionaires have been battling for the club for several months now after the Glazers announced they were looking to “explore strategic alternatives” back in November last year.

Read More: The Glazers’ actions hint at their preferred Man United bidder after Sheikh Jassim’s latest offer

The American ownership have ensured the process has remained long-winded so that they are able to drain every penny for the club. The family took over at Old Trafford in 2005 through a highly leveraged deal that loaded debt onto United.

Sheikh Jassim’s proposal includes wiping the debt from the club and investing into different areas; including the stadium, training ground and local area. Being able to provide Erik ten Hag with the chance to strengthen his squad in the upcoming window also played a ‘major role’ in Sheikh Jassim’s final bid going in, according to Keegan.