"Almost certainly.." - Respected BBC journalist gives update on Qatari interest in Man Utd as timeframe given

The interest from Qatari investors in Manchester United is "complicated", a respected BBC journalist has claimed.

On Tuesday the Mail Online claimed Qatari investors were planning a swoop for United and were prepared to give Erik ten Hag the financial backing needed to reinstate the Old Trafford club's place at the top of the world game.

A group of private individuals based in the oil-rich state have allegedly set their sights on United, who they view as “football’s crown jewels”.

An offer will reportedly be made in the coming days, ahead of the Glazers’ mid-February deadline. Indeed, the prospective buyers are said to be confident their bid will blow the opposition out of the water.

While it is not yet clear who is involved in the Qatari bid, the Guardian has claimed the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is “interested” in buying United.

Qatar’s United takeover “complicated”

The BBC’s Simon Stone claimed that Qatar’s reported interest in United is “complicated" given Qatar Sports Investment’s (QSI) ownership of French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Current Uefa rules do not allow clubs with the same owners to face each other in one of its competitions.

In turn, if the Old Trafford club is taken over by QSI, a Qatar-owned United and Qatar-owned PSG would not be allowed to compete in a Champions League tie.

Stone wrote: “A story emerged in the Daily Mail last night about a potential bid for Manchester United from Qatar.

“This could come from private investors but the issue is complicated.

“Qatar Sports Investments is the 'official' investment vehicle for the country. They are looking to take an interest in a Premier League club but couldn't buy one outright due to its current ownership of Paris St-Germain, which they are still committed to.”

The BBC journalist added that even if private investors were behind a bid for United, QSI may not want to be in competition with investors from their own country.

Meanwhile, though the Glazer family were hoping to complete their sale of United by end of March, it is not a “hard deadline”.

Stone continued: “There is nothing to stop private individuals trying to buy United but that would raise the potential for them being in competition with QSI, who they would almost certainly speak to before making any move.

“The Raine Group are running the process and their initial aim was to reduce the potential bidders down to serious contenders at some point this month before completing a sale by the end of March.

“Evidently, this is not a hard deadline.”