Sheikh Jassim gives Manchester United ultimatum with final takeover bid

The Qatari Billionaire attempting to buy Manchester United has made issued the Premier League giants with a 'take it or leave it' ultimatum.

Serving as something of a distraction from their patchy on-field form, the saga of who is going to buy United has dragged on for months.

The Glazer family, owners of United since 2005, announced in October that they were looking to sell the club, but still the Americans look no closer to leaving Old Trafford.

Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and English billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe have been the leading candidates for some months now, although the latter appears to be the more likely to complete a takeover.

The INEOS chairman is understood to be offering more than his rival, and is willing to allow the Glazer family to retain a minority stake in the club, a move unpopular with many United supporters.

With his chances of buying the club seemingly slipping away, Sheikh Jassim has been forced into action.

According to Mail Sport, the Qatari billionaire has submitted an improved final bid for a 100 percent takeover.

While the eleventh-hour bid is said to still be lower than Ratcliffe's, it would be paid in full immediately and would clear United's debt of almost £600 million.

Image: Alamy

There have already been three rounds of bidding, with a deadline for final offers originally set for last month.

The Qatari is keen to bring the protected saga to an end, and so has made this a 'take it or leave it' offer.

By contrast, Ratcliffe is offering more money, plus the opportunity for co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer the chance to stay at the club with a partial stake for two or four years before leaving.

The brothers could be attracted by that proposal, as they are thought to be keen on staying in some capacity at Old Trafford.

The whole ordeal is becoming something of a farce, with deadline after deadline ignored and extended.

Many United fans have jumped from one bidder to the other, but there is a growing feeling that the Glazer family won't actually end up leaving Old Trafford after all.