Prospective Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has insisted his bid for the club is very much alive, disputing claims from Qatar that Sheikh Jassim has already won the race.
Delays to the takeover process have proven to be a real source of frustration for fans, who are waiting to see whether the Glazer family will agree to a sale and, if they do, which of Ratcliffe or Sheikh Jassim will be the new owner.
Reports in Qatar have claimed that Sheikh Jassim's offer, which values the club below Ratcliffe's bid but would include a 100% buy-out, has already succeeded, but Ratcliffe has now countered those claims.
"There is still a process, we are in the process," Ratcliffe said during a book launch on Wednesday
"We have a good offer. We have met the Glazers a couple of times and had a good conversation but at the end of the day it’s their decision.
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"We still very much would like to do it. I also believe we would do a good job and do it for the right reasons. We keep very focused on it."
Elaborating on those reasons, Ratcliffe insisted he is not interested in making money from United but acknowledged the financial benefits of owning such a club.
"They ain’t making them any more, Manchester United and these type of clubs," he continued. "It’s like art or areas like that when you have special things and their value continues to pick up over time because they are very special and rare.
"I don’t like throwing money away or losing money. It doesn’t make me happy at all but we aren’t there to make money out of it. If it’s a really good asset it will increase its value over time."
Finally, Ratcliffe confirmed he has no desire to change the name of Old Trafford if his bid is successful: "God no. That would be heresy."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirms status of Man Utd takeover bid.