Manchester United's current owners the Glazers have reportedly named British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe as their preferred bidder over Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Both Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim have submitted offers to purchase the 20-time English champions, although only the latter wants to buy 100% of the club.
Ratcliffe is only looking for a controlling stake of Man United at this moment of time, and there have been claims that the Glazer family could stay on as minority shareholders under the proposed agreement.
Sports finance expert Dr Dan Plumley has claimed that Sheikh Jassim is leading the race to buy the club due to the size of his bid, which is believed to be in excess of £5bn.
However, according to The Sun, the Glazers have chosen Ratcliffe as their preferred bidder, and the British billionaire is set to be contacted by Raine Group, who are working on the sale, 'within days'.
© Reuters
The report claims that the American owners would rather hand majority control to Ratcliffe than sell the whole club to Sheikh Jassim despite the recent rumours that the Qatari is leading the race.
There have been claims that Ratcliffe could complete a full takeover within three years of taking control, although the complexities surrounding the deal are yet to be agreed.
Any move that sees the Glazers remain at the club is likely to prove to be incredibly unpopular with the Man United fans, who continue to protest against the American owners.
Sheikh Jassim has allegedly pledged to invest an additional £800m, separate to his main offer, into the infrastructure of the club, including improving Old Trafford and the club's training ground.
© Reuters
The Qatari is also said to be ready to make significant transfer funds available for this summer's window, with the club looking to spend big on a new centre-forward.
The size of the club's budget under Ratcliffe is unclear, but the Red Devils are expected to spend big in the upcoming market regardless of their ownership situation.
Any deal is unlikely to be completed before the start of June at the earliest, which would not give a proposed new owner much time to plan for the summer market.
A recent report claimed that Ratcliffe's offer for Man United has valued the club higher than the bid submitted by Sheikh Jassim.
A controlling stake for Ratcliffe's Ineos Group would likely be around 51%, with the Glazers potentially keeping a minority shareholding of around 20%.
Matt Law
