The owners of Manchester United were awaiting fresh approaches from a British businessman named Jim Ratcliffe and a Qatari banker on Thursday even though the deadline for new proposals to buy the Premier League's biggest clubs had already passed.
The deadline for submitting fresh proposals was reportedly set as Wednesday at 2100 GMT, but it has changed
Unknown is the exact day of the new cutoff.
The founder of the industrial chemicals firm INEOS, Ratcliffe, and the head of the Qatar Islamic Bank, Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, is the only bidders who have openly disclosed their intentions.
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According to sources, after a first round of bidding last month, there are up to eight potential bids for the club controlled by the American Glazer family, who are very unpopular with Manchester United supporters.
The BBC reports that a handful of prospective investors filed their applications by the cutoff on Wednesday.
Although specific figures have not been disclosed, it was estimated that the combined value of one or more of the initial offers was roughly £$5 billion worth 4.5 billion.
Manchester United, who haven't won the Premier League in a decade, would then rank as the most expensive sports league ever. However, it wouldn't come close to matching the Glazers' alleged valuation of United at £6 billion.
When United's owners said in November that they were conducting a strategic assessment, one of the options considered was selling the club.
Sheikh Jassim wants to run the club completely. To restore its "former glories."
According to a person familiar with Sheikh Jassim's bid, he is still confident that his offer is "the best for the club, supporters, and local community."
"Stupid Costs"
Ratcliffe, the chemical business INEOS founder and a lifelong United supporter, wishes to purchase the entire 69 per cent Glazer investment in the 20-time English champions.
The 70-year-old told the Wall Street Journal last week that he had no interest in competing at "crazy expenses" to buy one of football's most prestigious teams.
Ratcliffe declared that his motive for United would be "pure winning things," referring to the team as a "community asset" rather than a company. Ratcliffe already owns the French club Nice.
Since they took over the club in 2005, the Glazers have enraged many United supporters by loading the team with enormous debts. As they requested outside financing in November, they seemed prepared to profit considerably.
Although other parties are rumoured to be interested in a minority shareholding, they could still decide against selling a controlling stake in the club.
Ratcliffe and representatives from INEOS visited Old Trafford last week, the day after a delegation from Sheikh Jassim's organization had viewed the club's stadium and training facility.
Even though it would be controversial, a Qatari takeover of United would raise the athletic prestige of the Gulf nation months after it hosted the 2022 World Cup.
Because Sheikh Jassim is descended from a former Qatari prime minister, there may be an increase in governmental influence in the Premier League.
After Sheikh Mansour, a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi, took over Manchester City in 2008, the Premier League champions' fortunes changed.
The Saudi Royal Wealth Fund acquired Newcastle's majority ownership in 2021.
To stop "more sportswashing," Amnesty International has urged the Premier League to tighten ownership limits.
If Sheikh Jassim's bid is successful, it raises the question of whether Qatar is shifting its focus away from Paris Saint-Germain, the team that Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe currently play for and that Qatari investors bought in 2011.
In 2013, Alex Ferguson's final season as manager, when he led United to their 20th English title, they last won the Premier League. Since then, they haven't repeated as champions of Europe.
But, they are experiencing a revival this year under Erik ten Hag's leadership after winning the League Cup last month to snap a six-year trophy drought.
