The Qatari royal family is not looking to invest in a European football club despite rumours linking them with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, a source close to the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) told AFP yesterday.

A report in British tabloid The News of the World claimed yesterday that the QIA, which invests money on behalf of Qatar’s royal family, was preparing a £1.3 billion (€1.54 billion) bid for 18-time English champions United.

Reports in the French media in recent months have also linked QIA with PSG, claiming the organisation could be poised to take either a controlling interest or a 30 per cent stake in the under-achieving club based in Paris’s chic 16th arrondissement.

However, the source close to QIA played down the rumours and told AFP that football clubs such as United and PSG did not present the opportunities for reliable returns on investment that the sovereign wealth fund usually seeks in potential business partners.

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