Journalist explains why Spurs takeover talks are ‘on ice’ for the moment 

CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that Qatar Sports Investment’s talks with Tottenham Hotspur have been put on hold amidst Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani’s negotiations to buy Manchester United.

It first emerged towards the end of January that QSI, who own Paris Saint-Germain, had expressed interest in buying a minority stake in Spurs (The Athletic).

Manchester United
(Photo by Visionhaus)

It subsequently emerged last month that Qatar’s former Crown Prince, Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has launched a £4bn offer for the Red Devils (Daily Mail).

The Times reported on 18th February that Sheikh Jassim’s bid to takeover United will not affect QSI’s interest in Tottenham.  

The report revealed that sources close to the Qataris are adamant that there is a clear division between QSI, Sheikh Jassim and the country’s sovereign wealth fund. 

However, Jacobs believes that talks between QSI chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Daniel Levy will remain dormant until the Man Utd situation becomes clear.

The journalist told GiveMeSport: “Even though Spurs deny it, we know that Daniel Levy held exploratory minority investment talks with Qatar Sports Investment.

“I think we can term those talks as on ice until the Manchester United Qatar picture becomes clearer.

“But QSI have got their own return on investment strategies, so it doesn’t rule out QSI doing something in a minority sense with another Premier League club.

“Obviously, Qatar don’t know if they will win yet, so it would be foolish for QSI to rule out any of their plans around the Premier League club before the Manchester United situation becomes clearer.”

Spurs Web Opinion

QSI are far from the only ones who have shown interest in Tottenham recently, with Jahm Najafi (Daily Mail) and Liberty Media (The Times) also thought to be exploring a potential takeover deal.

So, QSI would be aware that they cannot afford to wait if they have a serious interest in buying a minority stake in the North London club.

Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Related Topics

Have something to tell us about this article? Let us know