Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani reportedly had plans to sign Kylian Mbappe and Kingsley Coman if he completed a takeover of Manchester United, while Eduardo Camavinga would also have been targeted.
The Qatari banker was thought to be the favourite to purchase the 20-time English champions from the Glazer family, but it was revealed over the weekend that he has now withdrawn from the process.
Sheikh Jassim's last offer is said to have been around £5bn, short of the £6bn asking price allegedly set by the Glazer family.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now set to purchase 25% of the Red Devils for around £1.4bn, with his club valuation in the region of £6bn.
Ratcliffe's arrival will allegedly not immediately boost the club's transfer budget, but Sheikh Jassim is believed to have been prepared to make a significant investment to improve the squad.
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According to Bild, Sheikh Jassim's main target would have been Mbappe, with the France international widely expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer next year.
Real Madrid remain the favourites for the attacker, but Man United would allegedly have been heavily involved in a battle for his signature to the amount of money that they would have been able to offer him.
A deal for Mbappe under Ratcliffe is highly unlikely, with most of the signs pointing to the World Cup winner arriving at Bernabeu next year.
Coman, meanwhile, would also allegedly have been a target, with the 27-year-old's future at Bayern Munich being called into question.
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The Frenchman, who has a contract at Allianz Arena, has scored twice and registered one assist in 10 appearances for the Bundesliga champions during the 2023-24 campaign.
Camavinga would also allegedly have been targeted, but the midfielder is believed to have come to an agreement with Real Madrid over a new long-term deal.
As a result, it would have been incredibly difficult to sign the former Rennes youngster even if Sheikh Jassim had managed to complete a takeover.
Almost a year has passed since the Glazer family first signalled a willingness to enter into discussions over a sale of the club.
Sheikh Jassim has allegedly only ever been interested in a 100% purchase, but the Qatari banker was ultimately not prepared to go above £5bn for the club, walking away over the weekend as negotiations with Ratcliffe gathered pace.
Matt Law
