Another billionaire ‘steps in’ as Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim withdraws bid to buy Man Utd – Newstrends
Connect with us

Sports

Another billionaire ‘steps in’ as Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim withdraws bid to buy Man Utd

Published

on

Another billionaire ‘steps in’ as Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim withdraws bid to buy Man Utd

QATARI banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani has withdrawn a bid to buy Manchester United, a source close to the deal told AFP on Saturday.

United announced nearly a year ago that they were exploring “strategic alternatives to enhance the club’s growth”, with a full sale one of the options.

Sheikh Jassim and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe were the front-runners after several rounds of bidding earlier this year, but the process has stalled in recent months despite the anger of supporters towards current owners, the Glazer family.

The Daily Mail reported that Ratcliffe is now set to secure a 25 percent stake in the club for around £1.5 billion ($1.7 billion).

The Glazers have owned the English giants since a leveraged takeover in 2005 for £790 million saddled the club with huge debts.

Figures in March showed United’s debt has now grown to £970 million.

Sheikh Jassim’s bid was for full control of United and promised to clear the club’s borrowings.

Further talks this week broke down despite an improved bid believed to be around £5 billion.

READ ALSO:

By contrast, Ratcliffe is reportedly willing to buy a smaller stake to break the impasse over the Glazers’ £6 billion asking price.

Founder of petrochemicals giant Ineos, Ratcliffe is a boyhood United fan and already has a portfolio of sports investments.

Ineos owns French club Nice and Swiss side Lausanne-Sport, as well as leading cycling team Ineos Grenadiers and is a major sponsor of the Mercedes Formula One team.

United’s fortunes on the field have also faded under the Glazers’ tenure.

The Red Devils have not won the Premier League since former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and last won the Champions League in 2008.

They currently sit 10th in the Premier League and have lost their first two Champions League group stage matches for the first time in the club’s history.

Fans have also been left frustrated at a lack of investment in United’s infrastructure over the past two decades.

Old Trafford remains the largest club football stadium in England, but is in need of significant redevelopment to keep pace with the facilities offered by their rivals.

READ ALSO:

United’s home was overlooked in favour of Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium for the UK and Ireland’s successful bid to host Euro 2028.

The Sheikh Jassim deal also promised $1.7 billion to finance plans for a new stadium and training centre, as well investment in the transfer market on players.

But the bid by the son of a former Qatari prime minister raised concerns over the potential growth of state influence in the Premier League.

Reigning Premier League champions City’s fortunes have been transformed since a takeover from Sheikh Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, in 2008.

In 2021, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund also bought a controlling stake in Newcastle.

Amnesty International has called on the Premier League to tighten ownership rules to ensure they are “not an opportunity for more sportswashing”.

Another billionaire ‘steps in’ as Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim withdraws bid to buy Man Utd

AFP

Sports

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

Published

on

Victor Osimhen

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

Juventus are preparing to offer a player-plus-cash deal to sign Nigerian international sensation Victor Osimhen from Napoli in the summer.

The Bianconeri have identified Osimhen as a key target for their offensive overhaul, and they are willing to include defender Federico Gatti in the deal to entice their Serie A rivals to negotiate.

According to Tuttosport, Juventus is aware of the complexities of the transaction, given Napoli’s reluctance to sell such a prominent player to a direct competitor.

Osimhen was instrumental in Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign in 2023, scoring 26 goals and becoming the first African to win the top scorer award as the club broke a 33-year jinx.

The Old Lady’s strategy includes capitalising on Napoli coach Antonio Conte’s fondness for Federico Gatti, hoping the centre-back will satisfy the Partenopei’s defensive issues while also enabling their pursuit of the Nigerian striker.

This move comes as Juventus prepares to unload Dusan Vlahovic and renegotiate Randal Kolo Muani’s loan with Paris Saint-Germain in order to extend his time at the Allianz Stadium beyond the summer.

READ ALSO:

Osimhen, who is presently on loan at Galatasaray, has been in top form this season, netting 20 goals in 22 league games for the Turkish giants.

Osimhen, a 26-year-old striker, broke Segun Odegbami’s 44-year-old Nigerian goalscoring record during a 2-0 victory over Rwanda in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali.

Odegbami, Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer since 1981, expressed delight at seeing his record broken.

“Osimhen has finally overtaken me, and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him, and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami stated.

“He is still young, and he has a long way to go.”

The striker is currently second only to the late Rashidi Yekini on Nigeria’s all-time scoring list, with 37 goals.

Since making his Super Eagles debut in June 2017, Osimhen has established himself as the team’s talisman, with significant performances in AFCON qualifiers, where he scored two hat tricks in 2023.

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

Continue Reading

Sports

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

Published

on

George Foreman

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

Two-time world heavyweight boxing champion and successful entrepreneur George Foreman has passed away at the age of 76.

His family announced that he died peacefully on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.

“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr, who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,” his family said in a statement posted on the boxer’s official Instagram page.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as we honour the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”

Born in 1949 in Houston, Texas, Foreman overcame a challenging upbringing, finding direction through the Job Corps programme, where he discovered boxing.

“At 13 years old, George was about 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and the terrorist in the neighbourhood,” his younger brother Roy told the BBC in 2024.

READ ALSO:

“And when you’re bigger and stronger and think you’re better than everyone else, you take things.”
Foreman’s athletic ability was shown when he won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

At 19, he crushed his way to the super-heavyweight title, brandishing an American flag in the ring just days after Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ historic Black Power salute.

Standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and known as ‘Big George’, he was a formidable presence in the heavyweight division.

His destructive power and quickness propelled him fast up the professional ranks. In 1973, he won the heavyweight belt by destroying Joe Frazier in two rounds.

By October 1974, when Foreman defended his title against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), he had a perfect 40-0 record.

Ali’s ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic wore him down, and tired, Foreman gave up in the eighth round.

Foreman’s impact on boxing and beyond is permanent.

A two-time heavyweight champion, an Olympic gold medallist, a preacher, an entrepreneur, and a devoted family man, his life was one of success, atonement, and reinvention.

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

Continue Reading

Sports

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

Published

on

Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami has expressed delight after Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen surpassed his long-standing goal record for the national team.

Osimhen scored his 24th and 25th goals for Nigeria during Friday’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali, moving him to second place on Nigeria’s all-time scorers list behind only the late Rashidi Yekini, who holds the record with 37 goals.

“Osimhen has finally overtaken me and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami said .

“He is still young and he has a long way to go.”

Odegbami, who retired from international football in 1981, had held the position of Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer for 44 years before Osimhen’s breakthrough.

READ ALSO:

The legendary winger, nicknamed ‘Mathematical’ for his precision crosses and intelligent play, scored 23 goals in 47 appearances for Nigeria between 1976 and 1981.

The Galatasaray striker, who is enjoying remarkable form this season with 20 goals and four assists in 20 Super Lig games, connected with Ademola Lookman’s free kick at the far post to score the opener against Rwanda on Friday.

Prior to this match, Osimhen had equalled Odegbami’s record last November during Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Benin Republic in a 2025 AFCON qualifying game in Abidjan, heading home in the 81st minute for his 23rd goal in 38 appearances.

The 26-year-old forward now needs 12 more goals to equal Yekini’s record of 37 goals, which has stood since the striker’s last game for Nigeria in 1998.

Odegbami, who was a key member of Nigeria’s 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad, scoring in the final against Algeria, also praised the team’s overall performance against Rwanda.

“I am really impressed with the Eagles performance in Kigali and that is their most convincing win in 10 years,” he added.

Osimhen, who made his Super Eagles debut in June 2017 in a 2-0 defeat against South Africa, has become the team’s talisman, including notable performances in AFCON qualifiers where he scored two hat-tricks in 2023.

 

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

Continue Reading

Trending