Sheikh Jassim DECLINED to bid for Chelsea last year because of Man United link

It has been revealed that Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who made a bid for Manchester United on Friday evening, declined encouragement to buy Chelsea last year.

Sheikh Jassim confirmed his offer to purchase the Old Trafford club and said that his vision is to have United regarded as “the greatest football club in the world”.

The Qatari bidder has also promised financial investment for the Carrington training complex, Old Trafford, the local community, as well as on the pitch. They also stated that they would clear the debt that the Glazer family has left upon the club.

United are not the only top English club on the hunt for a change in ownership. Liverpool have been searching for new investment since before the Glazers made their announcement in November 2022, but developments on their potential future have been scarce.

Chelsea also have recently gone through the process, swapping Roman Abramovich for the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership after their Russian owner sold the club following pressure from the league related to his previous links with Vladimir Putin.

In a report from the Daily Mail, it has been revealed that Sheikh Jassim was encouraged to attempt to purchase the London club last year but, as a fan of Manchester United, he was interested.

“He was encouraged to make a bid for Chelsea when they came up for sale last year,” said a source. “But he had no interest in buying because it’s United he supports.”

This follows various different reports that have claimed the Qatari is an avid supporter of the Red Devils. He supposedly began supporting the club in 1992 and that is why he named the investment vehicle he’s using to attempt to buy the club the Nine Two Foundation.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his multinational chemicals company INEOS have also submitted an offer to purchase Manchester United. The British billionaire’s statement says he wants to put “the Manchester back in Manchester United” and “focus on winning the Champions League”.

Ratcliffe is also a supporter of the 20-time Premier League champions and was at the famous encounter between Manchester United and Bayern Munich in 1999.

However, the 70-year-old was a bidder for Chelsea last year and has been a long-term season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge.