Prospective Manchester United buyer Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani will reportedly consider buying West Ham United if he fails in buying the Old Trafford outfit.

The Glazer family have owned United since 2005. In the period of their ownership, United have had a lot of success on the field, with their most recent trophy – the League Cup – coming this season.

However, fans regularly protest against the ownership. It’s unclear whether a poor reception from the fans for years has had any bearing on their decision to seek new owners.

In any case, the Glazers announced in November 2022 that they were open to selling the club. They’ve had a lot of interest form prospective buyers during the bidding process.

The two frontrunners are Sheikh Jassim and INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Both men submitted third bids, which were expected to be final, in April.

However, neither were deemed to be lucrative enough by the Glazers, so both parties went back to the drawing board to submit fourth bids.

After that process, it appears Ratcliffe is the favourite to take control of the club. Indeed, a recent report suggested his fourth bid was worth £6billion – while Sheikh Jassim’s was nearer £5.5billion.

It’s suggested the Glazers will lean towards accepting Ratcliffe’s bid and rejecting Sheikh Jassim’s.

Sheikh Jassim plans putting pressure on Glazers

However, the Qatari’s plans might be enough to make the Glazers think twice. Spanish outlet El Pais have reported if his bid for United fails, he will consider buying West Ham instead.

While Sheikh Jassim retains hope of buying the Old Trafford outfit, the interest in West Ham seems reasonable.

Indeed, the Qatar Investment Bank feel it’s a good move, as the Hammers have the highest stadium capacity in London, alongside Tottenham.

They feel this can ‘guarantee a full house every weekend’.

Whether or not this development will change the view of the Glazers on the bids remains to be seen. Indeed, the club should be in safe hands if Ratcliffe is to take over.

However, the Glazers surely hold some form of personal connection to United, having been the owners for so long. As such, they might not want to see another side reap the rewards that Erik ten Hag’s side could, in allowing Sheikh Jassim’s money to go elsewhere.

Newcastle United’s recent takeover has seen them leapfrog United this season. Surely the Glazers would not want to see West Ham do the same, even though they’ll not be owners anymore.

For the London outfit, though, they’d surely be in line for a healthy financial boost if they were to be taken over by the Sheikh Jassim. That could see their fortunes turn around quickly, similarly to how Newcastle’s have under new ownership.

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