Manchester United fans think they have spotted a potential summer-defining pattern emerging ahead of a big couple of weeks for the club. With Erik ten Hag determined to compete with Chelsea for some of the biggest names going in the transfer market, supporters are getting edgy.
As well as the pair being involved in a move for Mason Mount, United will be able to finalise personal terms, football.london has come to learn and will then make an offer for the England star, they are also interested in the lucrative striker market. Victor Osimhen is a mutual target whilst Harry Kane is also a dream buy for both clubs.
The new name cropping up is now Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has told Paris-Saint Germain that he is unwilling to extend his contract beyond 2024, choosing not to trigger the personal option put in place when he signed last year. It means that in 12 months he could walk away from free.
PSG aren't willing to take that risk after spending £154 million to sign him permanently in 2018. Although there is a chance Mbappe is using the threat of leaving to negotiate a better deal for himself, clubs have been put on red alert.
Chelsea, who are said to have enquired about him last summer before a two-year extension was signed, are likely to be back in the mix given their pursuit for a new centre-forward. The Red Devils are in the same boat and will be keen to make any global superstar theirs.
However, with uncertainty over their owners and the future of the Glazers, there is a stumbling block in place. Fans think they have found a wild reason for the club's interest, though. With reports suggesting that United are close to announcing their preferred bidder after months of delays, deadlines and final bids, Qatar banker Sheikh Jassim has been tipped to emerge as the leading candidate.
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As the son of Prime Minister Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Sheikh Jassim has some serious wealth and power behind him. As a member of the royal family, it is said that there is a reported £275 billion worth of wealth in the family, though his personal fortune is said to be $1.2 billion (£892m).
How he could afford to pay over £6 billion that the Glazers are demanding for United is a point of contention that has lead to intense questioning over the source of his wealth. One link leads straight back to PSG and his father, who is the former chair of the Qatari Investment Authority, owners of the French champions.
For some, this is just a coincidence but many are now suggesting that the emergence of Sheikh Jassim as the favourite - with suggestions that he is set to be confirmed as having beaten off competitor Jim Ratcliffe - is related to Mbappe's choice to move on.
Some hope that the timing is more than coincidental and that Qatari investment and influence at United could lead the way for Mbappe to join the club this summer. Meanwhile, Chelsea are battling for financial control due to lavish spending in the past year, all the while United are close to a big cash injection that could give them the upper hand.
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