“Is All the Money Clean in Any Premier League Club?” – Manchester Mayor Uncomfortable With Qatar’s $7 Billion Bid for Manchester United

Money reigns supreme in professional soccer nowadays. Be it lucrative sponsorship deals, massive sums involved in the transfers, or billionaire owners, money is the focal point. There are bidding wars happening to take over clubs. And one such saga is happening with Premier League giants Manchester United.

After flak from the fans and protests over the years, United owners have put the club on sale. Meanwhile, there’s no breakthrough yet in the process. But Greater Manchester mayor raised concerns over one of the bidders asking a valuable question.

Greater Manchester Mayor feels ‘uncomfortable’

Mayor Andy Burnham recently claimed no one is comfortable with Qatari businessmen entering the bidding process. He also questioned the Premier League funding. Burnham spoke on The News Agent podcast, sharing his reservations over United’s takeover process with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim reportedly front runner with a $6 billion bid.

After putting the United on sale, Glazers have found two massive suitors for the club. Along with Sheikh Jassim, British entrepreneur Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also in the race. However, both the bidders are yet to hear from Raine Group, the US bank, carrying out the process. No one knows who will get preference. “These are questions that everyone’s having to embrace in this Premier League era,” Burnham started.

“I don’t think anyone feels completely comfortable about it, and I’m going to be really clear about that,” Durnham said about the Qatari bid and Premier League funding. “But the Premier League has moved into a place where, is all the money clean in any Premier League club? There’s associations with regimes around the world. That’s how it is now, isn’t it?” Mayor added.

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He didn’t hold back on Glazers, too. “Obviously, we don’t have an outcome yet regarding the ownership of Manchester United. I think there’s a lot of people in this city would tell you there’s a lot of wrong with the current ownership regime, in terms of the money that’s been taken out of Manchester United over the last decade or so,” Burnham said. Like Burnham, everyone waits to see who takes over the Red Devils.

Who will be the owner of Manchester United?

The Glazers released a 300-word statement in November to explore strategic alternatives, including the club sale. Since the announcement, Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim have been the front runners. Both have improved their bids recently and are waiting for the response from Raine Group.

The reports recently claimed that a Qatari banker leads the race over a British businessman. On the other hand, some reports also claim Glazers are now reluctant to sell the club. Bemused United fans are eagerly waiting for any breakthrough in the sale process. Only time will tell whether Sheikh Jassim or Ratcliffe succeeds, or the Glazers continue.

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Let us know who the new Manchester United owner will be.