Those bidding to buy Manchester United will have until 9pm on Wednesday to officially submit their offers.
United chiefs are said to be braced for as many as eight bids, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani still the leading two parties to succeed the unpopular Glazer family at Old Trafford. The Qatari Sheikh sent a delegation to Manchester last Thursday to hold detailed talks with club officials before Ratcliffe made the journey with his entourage on Friday and did the same.
But, according to Sky Sports, up to six new parties could enter the running before Wednesday's deadline posed by Raine, the merchant bank running the sale process on the Glazers' behalf. Representatives for US hedge Elliott Management have also visited Old Trafford after making a proposal to finance a potential takeover or supplement the current ownership, with the American family continuing to weigh up whether to sanction a full sale or continue their much-maligned 18-year reign through minority investment.
