Sheikh Jassim and his consortium were interested in purchasing Manchester United two years back before Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS won the bidding war.
Manchester United are finally beginning to have some sort of stability at the club after major staff changes at ground level and in the executive team.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS regime have their set-up in place now and their workforce are now also operating at the new £50 million refurbed training ground.
But the last week has activated a clause in Ratcliffe’s contract with the Glazer family which may allow a sale to be made, and we all know that the British billionaire beat Sheikh Jassim and the Qatari’s last time around.
Their stance on returning to the table at Old Trafford has been revealed this week.
Sheikh Jassim’s stance on returning for United bid revealed
According to MailSport, on Wednesday August 13 2025, a clause buried in the finer print of Ratcliffe’s deal known as the ‘drag-along right’ came into play.
This specific clause exists to make it easier for a company to be sold by preventing situations in which a minority shareholder can block a deal that those who hold the majority want to go through.
For the Reds, it essentially means that the Glazers can sell the club even if Ratcliffe and his INEOS team do not want to. It is important to note that the American family and Ratcliffe have a positive working relationship.
But Sheikh Jassim and his 92 Foundation could put that into question if they were interested in returning with an offer two years after being rejected.
The aforementioned report clarified that there is ‘zero interest’ from that side to come back to the negotiating table for United and they are instead focused on other ‘mega projects’.
It was explained that they are making a bold attempt to host the 2036 Olympics, with the Emir of Qatar fully focused on getting that project over the line. In the meantime, it is ‘highly unlikely’ over projects such as the United takeover are given the green light.
Ratcliffe’s team showing upwards trend
Ratcliffe and his team have been far from perfect since they took charge and have received plenty of criticism for certain decisions over the last two years.
But there does seem to be an upwards trend occurring. Whether that be the new training facilities, plans for a new stadium, or the support Ruben Amorim is receiving in the transfer market.
Protests against Ratcliffe on the opening weekend of the new season were shelved after the 1958 Fan Group received negative feedback on their plans. While the criticism has come, many believe that Ratcliffe has made some necessary moves.
Read More: “He improves…” Rúben Amorim explains two reasons why Matheus Cunha can “change” Manchester United
Importantly, a lot of supporters want Ratcliffe to showcase a plan which eventually boots the Glazer family out of the club entirely.
But the idea of Qatar re-entering the picture at this stage isn’t exactly what the club needs as they look to finally be coming out of a stage of major uncertainty.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.