With a rumoured proposal from Qatar shocking European football, prospective new owners of Manchester United have till Friday to express their interest in purchasing among the biggest clubs on the planet.
The Glazer family, United's present American owners, announced in November that they were open to new investment in the English powerhouses, either in the form of majority ownership or a complete takeover.
The Glazers, who took over the organization in a leveraged purchase for £790 million ($961 million) in 2005, have alienated many fans and are prepared to sell out at a significant profit.
They reportedly want £6 billion for the three-time European champions, surpassing Chelsea's record purchase price established for a football club last year.
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The Blues were acquired for £2.5 billion by a group fronted by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital, with an additional £1.75 billion in planned infrastructure and player investments.
Only British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, owner of petrochemicals firm Ineos, which also owns French club Nice, has openly expressed interest in purchasing United.
However, rumours about a proposal supported by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, persist.
PSG's stature and clout
In the political circles of European football, Qatar already has a significant amount of power.
Since being acquired by Qatar Sports Investments, a division of the state's sovereign wealth fund, in 2011, Paris Saint-Germain has dominated French football and attracted some of the game's best stars, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar, to the Parc des Princes.
The president of PSG and the influential European Club Association is Nasser al-Khelaifi.
A successful Qatari offer would give the Gulf nation pride of place in the Premier League, the most-watched domestic league in the world, just months after hosting the 2022 World Cup.
The possibility of owning United also allows Qatarhance to rival its Gulf neighbours, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, in their ownership of English soccer.
Manchester City has become the dominant power in the Premier League thanks to Abu Dhabi's funding, winning six titles in the past 11 years.
Just 16 months after being taken over by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Newcastle United is in fourth place and has advanced to the It was the first League Cup final in 47 years.
However, neither City nor Newcastle can match United's legacy of 20 English championships or its enormous global fan following.
Regulatory obstacles
There would be several legal obstacles for Qatar to overcome.
Amnesty International has urged the Premier League to strengthen ownership regulations so that they are "human rights-compliant and do not present a vehicle for further sports washing."
However, it is highly improbable that the Premier League would prevent a takeover given the precedent set in approving investment from Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
More problematic may be UEFA's rules, which prohibit two clubs from participating in the Champions League if they are "directly or indirectly" controlled by the same organization.
The bidders are unaffiliated with the PSG owners, a source with knowledge of the deal insisted to AFP.
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