Shock as Sheikh Jassim ends Man United bid

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The Qatari banker is understood to have seen himself as the “dream buyer” of the club and had pledged a further £1.4bn of investment.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani has withdrawn his bid for Manchester United after becoming exasperated with the Glazers, i understands.

The Qatari banker pulled out of the running after another series of talks with the United owners, their advisors and Raine, the New York bank overseeing the process.

It is understood Sheikh Jassim’s team made further improved offers after the well-publicised demand for “final” bids in April, and that their most recent offer was close to £5.2bn. But sources close to the bidding process say that the Glazers’ valuation far outstrips that and so the Qatari’s Nine Two Foundation has “reluctantly” withdrawn from the process.

That ends months of negotiations from the Qatari team, who wanted to buy 100 per cent of the club and had pledged a further £1.4bn of investment in the club in infrastructure projects and team building.