Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani’s Manchester United transfer plans mean he could break Erik ten Hag’s ‘Cristiano Ronaldo rule’ should he be handed the keys to Old Trafford.
The Qatari group remain locked in battle with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS as they await more communication from Raine on behalf of the Glazers.
Despite intense speculation, the Glazers are yet to decide their preferred bidder, something that is yet to have been disclosed to either party.
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However, the noises coming out of Old Trafford suggest INEOS could be at the front of the queue but that hasn’t stopped the Qataris as they remain desperate to win the battle.
That was evident when Sheikh Jassim made a major 11th-hour bid worth an estimated £5.5billon around eight days ago, in an attempt to beat INEOS to the punch.
While Ratcliffe is willing to back United in the transfer market, one of the key selling points of the Qatari’s takeover bid is that they want to restore United’s reputation as the best in the world.
In order to do that, they will look to sign the best players with Kylian Mbappe among those on their transfer wish list.
It’s also no surprise that links to Neymar have emerged in recent days amid the takeover process, particularly given the chances of the Glazers dipping their hands into their pockets to sign the Brazilian are minimal.
But should Sheikh Jassim execute such signings, Ten Hag’s ‘Ronaldo rule’ would surely have to be dismantled within the first few transfer windows.
The ‘Ronaldo rule’ first came to light after a report from The Daily Mail, which explained that United were no longer giving salaries worth over £200,000 per week.
The idea was to restore a sense of control over their inflated wage budget which was causing them aggravation during contract talks with current players.
Chief executive Richard Arnold is also keen to eliminate feelings of jealousy from the dressing room when contracts are concerned.
Last September, it was reported that United had the highest wage bill – worth a whopping £384m – in the Premier League last campaign.
Meanwhile, Mbappe’s new deal he signed at Paris Saint-Germain last summer sees him net more than £1m per week in France – money United just won’t be able to compete with unless Sheikh Jassim is elected into power.
