Does Qatar want to buy Manchester United?

The small Gulf state of Qatar has been making headline news in the world of football in December 2010. First they were given the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, then the Qatar Foundation became the first paying sponsor of Catalan giants FC Barcelona in a deal worth 165 Million Euros and now rumours suggest that the Qatar Holdings are interested in buying English Premier League giants Manchester United from their American owners the Glazer family.

The Qataris could place a 1,5 Billion Pound bid for the Red Devils, but the club was quick to deny that their American owners the Glazer family are in any mood to sell the club which they bought under massive fan protests about five and a half years ago in 2005. And the club has been put under financial pressure by the Glazers as they made their buy only possible by financing it through bank loans, which are an unnecessary burden on the club.

At least for now speculations were ended by Manchester United communications director Phil Townsend who insists the club is not for sale. "There is nothing in this," he told the Manchester Evening News. "The club have had no approach at all and it is not for sale."

But as those who know the business know that such things can change very quickly. Especially due to the fact that the Qatar Holdings have asset in the region of 40 Billion Pounds. And through such a takeover United could challenge their city rivals Manchester City who were taken over by the Abu Dhabi royal family's Sheikh Mansour and have spend a few hundreds millions on their squad since then to challenge for the Premiership title.

And as mentioned earlier Qatar is trying to make a name for itself around the world using football. Actually very few know that Spanish Primera Division side FC Málaga had been bought in June 2010 by Sheikh Abdullah al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family. And now maybe Manchester United is on Qatar's radar after earlier talks with FC Everton didn't get the desired results.