Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani’s Al Mirqab family office is said to be exploring the purchase of a minority stake in Inter, three years after his son attempted to buy Manchester United.
Oaktree ownership opened the door to minority investment
Oaktree Capital Management, a US investment fund management company, assumed ownership of Inter on 22 May 2024 after the club’s holding companies failed to repay a three-year loan. The Italian side subsequently strengthened their existing Qatari links by making Qatar Airways their main training-kit partner as well as their official airline partner in July 2024.
Interest from Al Mirqab entered the public domain on 15 October, when Corriere della Sera identified the Qatari family office as one of several investors exploring a minority holding. It said the contacts with Oaktree were verbal and exploratory, rather than a formal negotiation.
Al Mirqab had already completed a major Milan investment in April 2026, acquiring 80% of the company holding Kering’s Via Monte Napoleone 8 property. Kering received €729 million immediately, with a further €432 million deferred.
Al Mirqab’s preliminary approach and Inter’s rising value
Tuttosport has now provided further detail on the identity and finances of the man behind the interest. It reports that Oaktree has responded with a curt “no comment” and does not currently contemplate selling control of Inter, although it could consider an investment which leaves its majority position intact.
Hamad is the figure behind Al Mirqab and his family office invests across finance, hotels and high-value property. Part of his family lives in Milan, making the city a regular fixture in his schedule.
The report also points to an earlier approach in 2023, when Hamad’s son, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, showed interest in Inter when Suning was seeking investors. The Chinese ownership’s €1.2 billion valuation was considered too high and the discussions did not progress.
Tuttosport argues that the position has since changed because Inter’s accounts have improved and their new stadium project has increased the investment’s potential value. It therefore considers the old €1.2 billion figure too low for the entire shareholding in the current market.
Hamad Al Thani’s political career and the United connection
Hamad was born in Doha in 1959 and became Qatar’s minister of municipal affairs and agriculture in 1989. He served as foreign minister from September 1992 until June 2013, while also holding the office of prime minister between April 2007 and June 2013.
During his public career he chaired organisations including Qatar Airways and Qatar’s foreign investment authority. Forbes listed the Doha-based investor’s real-time net worth at $4.8 billion on 18 October 2026.
His son Sheikh Jassim launched a bid for 100% of Manchester United in February 2023. He withdrew from the process that October after negotiations over his reported £5 billion offer broke down, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe eventually securing a minority shareholding in the Red Devils instead.
For United supporters, Al Mirqab’s Inter interest is a notable postscript to the 2023 takeover saga. A minority investment in Milan would be a very different proposition from Sheikh Jassim’s all-or-nothing Old Trafford bid, but it would show that the family’s appetite for a place in elite European football has not disappeared.
Final Thoughts
- Al Mirqab is exploring a minority stake in Inter.
- Oaktree is not considering surrendering control.
- Hamad’s son Sheikh Jassim previously pursued Manchester United.
- No formal Inter negotiation has begun.
Featured image by Marco Luzzani via Getty Images
