Potential buyers in the race to buy Manchester United will fly out this week for talks and a presentation at Old Trafford — with a delegation representing Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim arriving on Thursday and Sir Jim Ratcliffe in person on Friday.
- Potential Man United buyers will receive introductions from officials
- Director of Football John Murtough is expected to describe the club’s operations.
- Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the main candidates to buy the club.
Representatives for Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe will hold talks and receive an introduction from Manchester United officials as the takeover process continues.
Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim and British billionaire Ratcliffe are the frontrunners to buy the Red Devils, with formal offers last month.
Sheikh Jassim will be represented by a delegation at Old Trafford on Thursday but is not expected to attend.
Ratcliffe is expected to arrive in Manchester for in-person talks on Friday, along with a delegation from his Ineos Group.
The delegations are reportedly expected to be from the financial and legal side of Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe’s teams.
Prospective owners will hold talks and receive presentations at Old Trafford this week
Sheikh Jassim (L) and Sir Jim Ratcliffe (R) are the leading candidates to buy Manchester United
Bidders will receive presentations from various senior officials on their areas of expertise.
sports mail understands that the club’s scouting network, transfer strategy and first-team operations will be laid bare for potential new owners.
Director of football John Murtough is expected to be key in the process.
It is likely that the commercial and financial departments of the club will also present themselves.
The visits by both delegations mark the next step in the acquisition process, with potential new owners expected to be asked to return with a second offer.
New York-based Raine Group, which is handling the process for United’s owners, will then inform the Glazer family.
A successful bidder would then enter an exclusivity period in which a final agreed price could be agreed upon for the club.
Sheikh Jassim, the son of former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, announced his intention to acquire “100 percent of the club” last month.
The chairman of the Islamic Bank of Qatar submitted a £4.5bn offer for the club.
The Glazer family is reportedly seeking around £6bn to sell Manchester United.
Ratcliffe, who is reportedly worth around £13.3bn, is aiming to buy a majority stake in the club.
The first offers are not believed to have reached the valuation of the Glazers’ club, which is reported to be around £6bn, although this was not expected.
Elliott Management has also advanced to the second stage of the three-step process.
The US hedge fund has reportedly submitted a financing proposal that is open to all parties, but continues to insist that it does not want to buy United.