Sheikh Jassim's father eyes Inter Milan minority stake three years after United bid failed

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former Qatari prime minister whose son Sheikh Jassim bid unsuccessfully for Manchester United, has reportedly made verbal contact with Inter Milan’s owners Oaktree Capital Management over a minority stake in the Italian club. The approach is said to be coming through Al Mirqab, the investment vehicle in which Sheikh Jassim serves as CEO, according to Italian outlet Tuttosport.

Oaktree, who acquired Inter from previous owners Suning in 2024, are reported to have no appetite for a full sale but could consider offloading a non-controlling interest. Tuttosport also reports that Sheikh Jassim himself previously attempted to buy Inter from Suning before withdrawing after failing to agree on a valuation.

The Al Thani family’s interest in Italian assets is not new. Through Al Mirqab — named after HBJ’s yacht — the group has invested across finance, hotels, and luxury real estate, with a growing concentration of that portfolio in Milan specifically, the same report notes.

Sheikh Jassim, whose net worth Forbes estimates at between £900m and £1.1bn, emerged as one of the frontrunners to buy Manchester United after the Glazer family began exploring a sale in 2022. He pursued a full takeover but the Glazers ultimately chose to sell a minority stake to Sir Jim Ratcliffe midway through the 2023/24 season. His father, HBJ, is valued at US$4.7bn (£3.52bn) by Forbes, ranking 823rd on the magazine’s global billionaires list.

Inter themselves have been in strong domestic form, sitting top of Serie A with 16 points from a possible 18 games played this season. The club reached the Champions League final in 2025, where they lost to Paris Saint-Germain, and have claimed the Serie A title in two of the last three campaigns. Their European form this term has been more difficult, with defeats against Real Madrid and Club Brugge leaving them facing a tough path through the latter stages of the competition.

Meanwhile, United’s first Champions League campaign under Ratcliffe’s ownership has been mixed — one win and one defeat in Europe — while domestically they have won just one of their opening six Premier League matches.