Tag: Sheikh Jassim

  • Sheikh Jassim presents upgraded bid for United takeover

    Sheikh Jassim presents upgraded bid for United takeover

    Reports have it that Sheikh Jassim has submitted an improved bid in his pursuit to acquire Manchester United from the Glazer family.

    This comes after both Sheikh Jassim and his rival, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, had previously submitted what was expected to be their final bids for the club last month.

    In an effort to strengthen his position amidst growing confidence in the Ratcliffe camp, Sheikh Jassim has raised the value of his offer. The offer, which remains for the complete ownership of the club, includes provisions to clear all existing debts and also features a separate fund dedicated to the club and its community.

    The ongoing takeover situation has left officials and staff at Old Trafford seeking clarity. The process began in November when Manchester United announced their exploration of “strategic alternatives” to enhance the club’s growth, including the possibility of a full sale.

    Sheikh Jassim was the first potential buyer to publicly confirm his bid during the initial round in February, followed shortly by Ratcliffe, the owner of INEOS and a Manchester native.

    The first quarter of this year was initially regarded as a crucial period in a prolonged process that has threatened to overshadow Manchester United’s pursuit of a Champions League qualification spot.

    February’s soft deadline was followed by a second deadline in March for those that progressed, with Raine Group, brought in to oversee the sale, then asking interested parties for their third and final bid on April 28.

    United fans have made clear their desire for a full buy-out from the Glazers, who have been unpopular since their leveraged takeover of the club in 2005.

  • Mbappe’s IG post, a hint of possible move to Man Utd?

    Mbappe’s IG post, a hint of possible move to Man Utd?

    Once again, Kylian Mbappe has fueled speculation about a summer transfer to Manchester United.

    Rumors suggest that the club’s possible new owner, Sheikh Jassim, is keen to make high-profile signings if he takes over the club, with Mbappe being at the top of the list.

    Aside from these reports, Mbappe has been dropping hints that he may be considering a move to Old Trafford.

    It remains unknown whether he does it knowingly or not, but the fact of the matter is, at least two of Mbappe’s recent Instagram posts have had the word ‘Manchester United’ embedded in them.

    Mbappe’s cryptic Instagram posts

    It started on February 14 when he took to his account after Paris Saint-Germain had just lost the Champions League round of 16 first leg to Bayern Munich.

    Mbappe was barely fit for that game and came off the bench and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t impact the game.

    He wrote, ‘Tout reste à faire’, and tagged his club, which when translated, means ‘All that remains to be done’ or ‘Everything has to be done’ ahead of the second leg.

    However, Instagram translated it to ‘All that remains to be done... Manchester United’s team is now on @psg.

    This was passed off as perhaps Mbappe rallying his teammates to pull off a comeback in the second leg the way United had done on them a couple of seasons back against all odds.

    However, when the same script repeated itself on May 7, it became apparent that it wasn’t a comeback or anything of that sort.

    Mbappe had just starred in PSG’s win over Troyes and this time, he wrote, ‘Un peu plus près’, which means ‘A little bit closer’ to imply the Ligue 1 title. Instagram translation picked it up as ‘A little closer… Manchester United’s team is now on @psg.

    One thing that stood out in both posts was immediately after his French caption; what followed was the ellipsis sign (…) and two coloured circular emojis, a red one followed by a blue one, then he tagged his club.

    Sports Brief repeated the same trick but used ‘je suis journaliste sportif’ which means I am a sports writer as a caption.

    We then followed it up with the ellipsis, the coloured emojis and tagged PSG. Upon sharing the story, Instagram translated the caption to ‘I’m a sports journalist… Manchester United’s team is now on @psg’.

    Verdict

    Sorry Manchester United fans, it seems like Mbappe is not doing this knowingly. It looks like there is an Instagram glitch as far as the translation is concerned.

    What’s interesting, though, is why of all clubs, the translation feature settled on Manchester United. When the same caption is used but one tags a different club, the caption remains as written.

    Either it is a glitch or Instagram has specific emojis that denote certain teams.

    Doesnt mean Mbappe can’t sign for Manchester United. Have some faith – it’s the hope that kills.

    When Mbappe praised Rashford

    Sports Brief had earlier reported that Mbappe and Marcus Rashford are arguably among the fastest-rising stars in modern-day football. The former especially has already exacted his presence with blistering performances on the biggest of stages, such as the World Cup final.

    the idea of these two possibly linking up at Old Trafford next season creates an interesting prospect.

     Mbappe and Rashford already have a rapport and have the greatest amount of respect for each other. They have met a couple of times, the most recent being the World Cup quarter-final, where France triumphed over England.