Manchester United could have new owners within SIX weeks

Manchester United could be in new hands within six weeks, with Qatar’s offer to enter on Friday.

Friday marks the ‘soft deadline’ for bids from the Premier League giants, with bids to land at 5pm New York time and 10pm here.

As this newspaper revealed, a group of Qatari investors are going to make an offer that they believe will be the strongest. It can now be revealed that your offer will be placed on the deadline day.

While the aim is to ensure the process is complete for the summer transfer, it is understood that based on the interest shown, United could have new owners by the end of next month.

The Qataris are expected to face opposition from four other groups, with interest coming from the US, Asia and Britain’s richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Groups in Saudi Arabia have been given access to the data room, allowing them to obtain financial information from United in exchange for signing a confidentiality agreement. Whether those groups, separate from the Newcastle United owners, will make their move remains to be seen.

Manchester United could have new owners at the club in the next six weeks

United’s American owners, the Glazer family, are seeking at least £6bn to sell the club.

Qatari investors are set to make an offer on Friday, which they believe will be the strongest.

Those with knowledge of the situation say there is growing confidence that there will be a successful outcome sooner rather than later, despite the Glazers seeking around £6bn.

It is known that several offers have already been registered.

There will be no announcements after the expiration of tomorrow night’s deadline. It will then pass on to US commercial bankers Raine Group, who will handle the process.

They will vet the offers and separate the heavy hitters and serious parts from the rest. There will be three groups. The first are those who wish to take full control of United.

They are expected to come from a group of five, which includes the Qataris. The second group will be made up of those who want to inject cash into the balance sheet in exchange for a stake in the club, while the third will be investment deals and business partnerships, where companies could provide services such as retail or media expertise. .

There are more than 20 deals in the latter two categories, though it remains true that a full takeover is the most likely outcome. In fact, it may well be the case that some of groups two and three later form consortia in an attempt to break into the first group.

Raine will inform the Glazer family. If they receive an offer beyond Friday, they would be obligated to listen to it, since United is a publicly traded company.

The Qataris are expected to face competition from rivals such as Sir Jim Ratcliffe

The new owners could provide a big cash injection to improve Man United in the summer