Sheikh Jassim receives boost in Manchester United ownership race as rival bidder has lost confidence in potential takeover - Reports

According to a report from Nice Martin, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has suffered a loss of confidence in his bid to buy Manchester United. The INEOS group owner is battling Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Al Thani for buying the Old Trafford club.

INEOS' bid will see the club's current owners, the Glazers, remain in control partially. Sheikh Jassim's offer, on the other hand, will see the Qatari business tycoon take over all 69 percent of the share currently held by the Americans.

According to a recent report from Reuters, the Glazers are currently leaning towards selling the club to the Qatari group. They are set to enter a final round of discussions regarding the matter.

The Glazers bought Manchester United back in 2005 for $800 million. They are looking for a bid in the north of $5 billion to sell the club. The Qatari contingent are expected to submit a fifth and final bid soon.

Manchester United acknowledged Cristiano Ronaldo reaching 200 international caps

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo recently became the first player in the history of football to reach 200 caps in international football. The 38-year-old scored against Iceland in what was a historic personal occasion for him.

The Red Devils acknowledged this landmark as one of their finest-ever players completed an amazing feat. This is despite Ronaldo's second United spell coming to a tumultuous end. The Portuguese, however, is a bonafide club legend.The club wrote on its official website:

"Former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo became the first-ever male player to reach 200 international appearances on Tuesday, when he started and scored the winner in Portugal's Euro 2024 qualifier in Iceland."

The statement further read:

"Ronaldo's appearance made him the very first player to reach the landmark of 200 international caps in the men's game, and he has four more than the second highest - Kuwait striker Bader Al-Mutawa."

Ronaldo now has 124 international goals to his name. The tally is the highest ever in the history of the beautiful game. The records keep coming for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.