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Manchester United's owners, the Glazer family, are on
the verge of selling the club to Qatar Holdings in a £1.6 billion
deal, according to the Daily Express.
The newspaper reports that United's American owners are "only
haggling over details" as they close in on a deal worth more than
double the £790 million they paid for the club in 2005.
United are preparing to take on cash-rich neighbours Manchester
City on Saturday, who are themselves owned by a wealthy Middle
Eastern backer in Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
but it is believed the Manchester derby could be the last at Old
Trafford under the Glazer regime.
The unpopular Americans have been at United for less than six
years, and in that time have faced mass protests against their
stewardship, with fans concerned that the debt-laden structure of
their ownership puts the long-term future of the club at risk.
The Daily Express claims that the Glazers had been
holding out for an offer of closer to £2 billion, but have accepted
the £1.6 billion bid, up from an initial £1.5 billion, with a
"well-placed" source quoted as saying: "The deal is pretty much
done and they are only haggling over details".
Despite the claims that Qatar Holdings, the investment branch of
the Qatari royal family led by the Gulf state's Emir Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa Al Thani, is nearing a takeover deal, United have
continued to deny that the Glazers have been entertaining any
bids.
And on Thursday, United's director of communications Phil
Townsend maintained that no offer has been made. "There has been no
approach to buy Manchester United and no approach would be
welcome", he told the Daily Express.
Qatar Holdings already boasts a portfolio of assets in England
that includes London's American Embassy and upmarket department
store Harrods, which it purchased from Fulham owner Mohamed Al
Fayed last year.