13 October 2023 , 01:00
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David Beckham has denied claims he has held talks with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani regarding a potential return to Manchester United as part of his takeover bid.
Along with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim is one of the suitors hoping to strike a deal for the Premier League giants with the Glazers, who invited offers for the club last November. The taxing process is seemingly still no closer to a conclusion, though, despite multiple rounds of bidding.
Reports earlier this week claimed that Beckham could return in an ambassadorial role if Sheikh Jassim's proposal was successful, while the man himself appeared to hint he was supportive of the Qatari bid after attending last weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.
However, Beckham has clarified that he has had no direct discussions with Sheikh Jassim as of yet. Speaking to American outlet CNBC on Thursday, he said: "At the moment there has been no discussion. I have had a long-standing relationship with Qatar, because of my involvement with PSG. Obviously there will be some connection and people put two and two together.
"There will be a takeover, it is the right time. We all have our opinions on who should take over, but in my opinion it is about who cares about the club the most and will take the club back to where it should be.
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"Everybody knows I am a Manchester United fan and I have been very vocal about the situation that is happening. I grew up there from a young age with a lot of stability with the same manager and the same owners.
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David Beckham has denied reports claiming he could return to Manchester United as part of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's takeover bid (CNBC)"Manchester United will always be one of the biggest clubs in the world. We need to get back to that for the fans, the players, the manager because at the moment, there is no stability. We need to get the talk back on the field, not off it.
"I want to see an ownership group who will take the club back to what it should be. I am not saying the past owners have done a bad job but it is the right time for someone else to take over."
Despite Beckham's comments, a fresh report from Bloomberg on Thursday night outlined that Ratcliffe is now the frontrunner in the race to buy United. The Ineos chief could purchase an initial 25 percent stake of the club in a deal that would value United at more than £5billion.
Such a deal would allow the Glazers to remain in power, with Ratcliffe only taking a minority stake. Sheikh Jassim's proposal for the club is understood to be for 100 percent control.