Qatar made soccer history in early December, but if businessmen in the nation are aligning pieces to acquire Manchester United, the Premier League club isn't revealing any of the news.
According to ESPNsoccernet.com, Manchester United denies that Qatar Holding is attempting to take over the English club with a £1.5 billion payout.
"There has been no approach of any kind to buy the club and one wouldn't be welcome anyway because it is not for sale," a United spokesman said of the reported bid.
Even if Qatar Holding — backed by the Qatari royal family – is looking to buy out the club, it would come at a steep price. According to Forbes.com, Manchester United was the most valuable team in pro sports in 2010, valued at $1.87 billion.
The Glazer family bought the club in 2005 for £800 million and now requests closer to £2 billion.
In December, the Qatar group was awarded the rights to host the 2022 World Cup in its respected country. On top of that, they will be sponsoring the fronts of FC Barcelona’s jersey for a hefty sponsorship deal of £125 million to promote its brand leading into the World Cup.
This isn't the first ludicrous payment of the Qatar group. To reward Zinedine Zidane for representing Qatar in their pursuits of hosting the World Cup, they paid him $15 million.
Don’t expect the Middle Eastern group to purchase Manchester United anytime soon, though.
