British Billionaire Competes With Emir Of Qatar To Buy Manchester United

There are two parties who have made an offer to buy Manchester United. (Photo: Twitter/@ManUtd)

JAKARTA - Manchester United has many fans. However, only two parties are reported to have made official offers.

Previously, the offer came from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Most recently, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe took the same step.

The British rich man has made an official bid to buy ownership of Manchester United, a few hours after the management of the club nicknamed the Red Devils received an offer from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

Jim Ratcliffe's offer was confirmed by the INEOS Group, which is his company. Just like the Emir of Qatar, Ratcliffe also wants to fully acquire Manchester United.

"We will look to our role as long-term guardians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and the wider community," INEOS said in their statement quoted by Antara via AFP on Saturday, 18 February.

"We are ambitious and highly competitive and want to invest in Manchester United to make them the number one club in the world again," the statement continued.

Ratcliffe is one of the richest people in England. The 70-year-old man says he has been a Manchester United fan since childhood. He owns INEOS which is a giant petrochemical company.

The INEOS group itself is no stranger to the world of sports. They own cycling team INEOS Grenadiers, French Ligue 1 club Nice, Swiss super league club FC Lausanne-Sport, and own a third of the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The Glazers have set an initial bid deadline on Friday (17/2) UK time. Previously they had stated their openness to minority investment and full acquisitions.

Towards the end of the deadline, Sheik Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani officially submitted their offer through his Nine Two Foundation. He wants to buy 100 percent ownership of Manchester United.