Man Utd takeover: ‘Feeling’ fresh Sheikh Jassim twist will happen soon as Ten Hag aims dig at Glazers

There is a ‘feeling’ that Sheikh Jassim will make a fifth offer for Man Utd amid reports Sir Jim Ratcliffe is leading the race to take over the club.

The Red Devils are in the middle of a potential takeover with the Premier League club setting a deadline of April 28 to get third, and what was expected to be final, bids in.

Both Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim and INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe – who have made their bids public – met the deadline and got their improved bids in on time.

However, with rumours that the Ratcliffe camp were increasingly confident of winning the race to take over Man Utd, .

That fourth offer is for 100 per cent of the club, will clear all debt and includes a separate fund directed solely at the club and community.

But Ratcliffe remains the ‘leading bidder’ but that no preferred candidate has been selected.

That comes after the ‘directors of the Premier League club’s holding company met on Thursday to discuss the progress of its £5bn-plus auction’ but ‘did not opt to enter into exclusive negotiations’ with either party.

And following that news, BBC Sport (via the Daily Express) have now claimed that there is a ‘feeling’ that Sheikh Jassim will now be tempted to make a fifth offer for the club.

There have been concerns among the fanbase that this process could now rumble on for weeks or months and hamper Erik ten Hag’s summer transfer business.

Man Utd finished third in the Premier League this season, winning the Carabao Cup in the process, while they have another chance at silverware when they take on Man City in the FA Cup final at the weekend.

However, there was criticism of the lack of backing in the winter market with Man Utd bringing in three loan signings in the form of Wout Weghorst, Marcel Sabitzer and Jack Butland.

And Ten Hag seemed to aim a dig at the Glazers over a lack of investment in the January transfer window, he said: “The club knows if you want to play top four and compete for trophies in this league, then you have to invest.

“Otherwise you don’t have a chance, because other clubs will. We’ve seen it in the winter – all the clubs around us made huge investments.

On the FA Cup final, Ten Hag added: “You always have a chance in football. History shows we beat them in January. In the last couple of years, we beat City many times, so these players know when they play at their level they can compete.

“It’s obvious we play against the best team, but there’s a chance and we have to go for the chance and give everything.

“We can’t find excuses for ourselves after the game. I’m sure we’ll play a good game on Saturday.”