MANCHESTER UNITED are expected to receive a formal bid for the club from Qatar this week.
The Glazer family are looking to sell the Premier League giants in the coming months after nearly 18 years of ownership.
APThe Glazer family have out Manchester United up for sale after 18 years of ownership[/caption]
GettyThe Americans are set to receive a formal bid for the club from the Qatar Investment Authority[/caption]
A number of parties are interested in taking charge of the Red Devils, including Britain’s richest man.
A group of Qatari investors are among those keen on buying United.
And it’s claimed they’ll table their offer for the club in a matter of days.
That’s according to The Telegraph, who claim the Qatar Investment Authority – which is worth a jaw-dropping £370BILLION – will bid for the club in its entirety by Friday.
United have set a soft deadline for interested parties to table one-paragraph offers along with proof of funds.
The Red Devils brass want the offers sent to American merchant bank Raine by Friday so they can begin whittling down serious contenders to buy the club.
Britain’s richest man – Sir Jim Ratcliffe – is also expected to submit his bid for the club before the deadline.
It’s also claimed “a number” of American-based private equity groups are also weighing up full takeover bids for the club.
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The Glazers – who have been the subject of several protests in recent years – are understood to want close to £6billion for United.
The QIA would have no problem stumping up that cash, although article five of UEFA regulations – which prohibits multi-club ownership – could prove to be a sticking point in the purchase.
The Qatari’s already own French champions Paris Saint-Germain and have transformed them into a global powerhouse since taking ownership of them in 2011.
UEFA rules stipulate that “no individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition”.
Although Red Bull’s ownership of FC Salzburg and RB Leipzig – who have both played in the Champions League in recent years – could work in the Qatari’s favour when it comes to buying United.
Manchester United will be back in action on Thursday evening, travelling to the Nou Camp to take on Barcelona in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-32 clash.