Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani was very close to buying Manchester United.

Sheikh Jassim was the representative of the Qatari royal family, who were hoping to become United's sole owners.

While the Qataris were always at the forefront of the takeover process, they were unable to reach a deal with the Glazer family.

Per The Independent, Sir Jim Ratcliffe won the race to secure a portion of United due to his insistence and transparency.

The Qataris were looking to buy United's A shares at a different price to B shares, which would have opened up the club to a lawsuit.

In addition, there were questions asked about the banker's financial might, which were not answered either.