Aston Villa chief calls for Premier League rule change amid Manchester United takeover bids

Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow has called on the Premier League to separate itself from government decisions amid a proposed takeover of Manchester United by Qatar's Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Sheikh Jassim is reportedly set to submit a third bid for the Reds on Friday ahead of the takeover deadline imposed by the Glazer family. It is understood Jassim is still committed to purchasing United fully after reports claimed Sir Jim Ratcliffe was looking at submitting a bid which would allow the Glazers to keep a minority stake at the club.

That idea was met with widescale fury from the United supporters and has left many souring on the idea of the INEOS owner completing a takeover. While Jassim is understood to have not waivered on his stance of a full sale, he has also made it clear his bid is separate to the state government in Qatar.

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Speaking to Sky News, Purslow said he'd read reports about Qatar potentially investing in United and believes changes should be made to stop such decisions.

"There is nothing in the football rule book that could or would have prevented that [Newcastle United] takeover," he explained. "Many people perhaps think there should be and could be, but I think that's pretty unrealistic. You know, if you think about the idea of this country's relationship with friendly states, with allies, nations on which we rely, I was looking only yesterday, people talking about a potential takeover of Manchester United and the potential for Qatar to be involved in that.

"You know, this is a country on whom we depend for our energy supplies in the last 12 months. So, it seems to me wholly unrealistic to imagine a group of football