Man Utd takeover: Qatar Investors send clear warning to Glazer family with four to bid before deadline

According to reports, there will be four offers from bidders for Man Utd before the ‘soft deadline’ that’s been set by the Glazer family for Friday night.

The Premier League club have been up for sale since last November.

“The strength of Manchester United rests on the passion and loyalty of our global community of 1.1 billion fans and followers,” the statement from the Glazers read.

“As we seek to continue building on the Club’s history of success, the Board has authorized a thorough evaluation of strategic alternatives.

“We will evaluate all options to ensure that we best serve our fans and that Manchester United maximizes the significant growth opportunities available to the Club today and in the future.

“Throughout this process, we will remain fully focused on serving the best interests of our fans, shareholders, and various stakeholders.”

Unsurprisingly, there has been significant interest in Man Utd in recent months. British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to buy club after he failed to acquire Chelsea last year.

In recent weeks,

. By then, it is thought anyone interested in buying must formally indicate their interest and submit proof of funds.

Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol is now reporting that investors linked to the Qatari royal family ‘will bid’ on Friday. They add that ‘investors from the United States and Saudi Arabia will also bid for the club, alongside Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group’.

It is indicated that the Glazer family ‘want at least £5bn’ but none of the bidders ‘want to go big’ with their initial offer.

Qatari investors are understood to be serious as their takeover ‘would lead to significant investment being made in the team, Old Trafford and the city of Manchester’.

But they are unwilling to be messed around by the Glazer family. Qatari investors are ‘determined not to overpay’, as the report adds.

“If I was one of the other groups looking to buy Manchester United, I would be worried that the Qataris have come in and said they definitely want to buy Manchester United. If you look at the money they have, the investments they have made in the past over a big variety of businesses, they don’t normally lose out if they want something.

“If they have decided they want to buy Manchester United, they will go all out to get it.

“The only point I would make is that I’ve been told that the Qatari investors will not overpay. They will not dance to the Glazers’ tune when it comes to price.”