Nearly three years after losing out to Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the battle to take over Manchester United, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani could get another opportunity to move into football ownership. The Qatari's father, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, is claimed to be leading a bid for Italian giants Inter Milan through investment vehicle Al Mirqab, in which Sheikh Jassim serves as CEO.
From Old Trafford to San Siro
The banker emerged as one of the early candidates for ownership of United after the Glazer family began exploring a sale in 2022. He attempted to complete a full takeover, but the Americans instead opted to sell a minority stake to Ratcliffe midway through the 2023/24 season.
Now, according to Tuttosport, his father - known as HBJ - has made verbal contact over Al Mirqab taking a minority stake in Inter. The same publication claims that Inter's owners, Oaktree Capital Management, have no plans to sign off on a full sale but could consider selling a non-controlling interest.
HBJ's Wealth and Investments
HBJ, 67, previously spent six years as Qatar's prime minister after a two-decade stint as foreign minister. Forbes lists his worth at US$4.7bn (£3.52bn), placing him 823rd on the magazine's billionaires list, with Sheikh Jassim's net worth estimated at between £900m and £1.1bn by the same publication.
Through the Al Mirqab group, which shares its name with HBJ's yacht, the former political leader has invested in finance, hotels, and luxury real estate. Tuttosport reports that an increasing portion of this property empire is in Italy and in Milan specifically.
Previous Inter Interest and Current Form
The same publication reports that Sheikh Jassim previously led a bid to buy Inter from previous owners Suning, who ended up selling to Oaktree in 2024. He backed out of that deal after failing to reach an agreement with Suning on their valuation of the club.
On the field, Inter have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. The Milanese club reached the Champions League final in 2025, losing to Paris Saint-Germain, while they have won the Serie A title in two of the last three seasons.
Things have been tougher for Christian Chivu's side in Europe this season, with narrow defeats against Real Madrid and Club Brugge leaving them with an uphill battle to return to the latter stages of the Champions League. However, they sit top of the Serie A table with 16 points from a possible 18.
United have had a trickier start to their own campaign, their first with Champions League football under Ratcliffe's ownership. They have one win and one defeat in Europe but are in the bottom half of the Premier League table after winning just one of their first six matches.
