Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani also has the sense of discipline and reserve necessary to rally the elite of this small gas state behind his candidacy.

"If he made this candidacy public, you can be sure that everyone, starting with the emir, wants it to work," said the head of a multinational that has worked with the country for decades.

"Qatar hosted the World Cup and now have to follow," he added on condition of anonymity, with public comments not always welcomed in Qatar.

Qatari media merely reported the offer on Saturday, citing the statement issued by Sheikh Jassim's service.

The operation could cost more than 5 billion dollars, according to the British press, but the press release does not specify where the money would come from.

Presented as "a longtime fan of Manchester United", Sheikh Jassim is closely linked to the personalities who have made Qatar one of the main investors in the world.

Coming from the Al-Thani family, which dominates the political and economic life of the country, he has chaired the Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) for years and is a graduate of Sandhurst, the British military academy.

Support in Qatar

Born in 1982, the year the QIB was created, Sheikh Jassim joined the bank's board of directors at a very young age, which under his chairmanship became a leading Islamic financial institution, offering Sharia-compliant products and women-only agencies.

The establishment has also contributed to the construction of gigantic shopping centers, the rare public comments of its president underlining the commitment of the institution in favor of the "diversification" of the Qatari economy, dependent on hydrocarbons.

The QIB, whose assets amount to $50 billion, announced profits of more than $1 billion in 2022, up more than 12% year-on-year.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani also sat until 2017 on the board of directors of Credit Suisse, of which Qatar Investment Authority, the country's sovereign wealth fund, is the second largest shareholder.

The potential future boss of the English club is one of the fifteen children of Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar from 2007 to 2013.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, father of the potential Manchester United buyer, then Prime Minister of Qatar from 2007 to 2013, with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Doha on March 5, 2013 © FAISAL AL-TAMIMI / AFP

Sheikh Hamad, often referred to by his initials HBJ, created the sovereign wealth fund behind the takeover of Paris Saint-Germain and London landmarks such as the Harrods department store and the Shard skyscraper.

He was close to the former emir and father of the current emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who was instrumental in Qatar's rise in the sports world.

The former Prime Minister, who is at the head of a business empire that made him a billionaire, is also known to be a football fanatic.

© 2023 AFP