Sir Jim Ratcliffe has valued Manchester United higher than Qatar has in what was supposed to be the final round of bidding to take over the club from the Glazers.
While this would appear to put INEOS in the best position in the race to buy United, figures close to the process were still stressing caution given the "strangeness" of the process so far. This final stage had previously been seen as a hard deadline after which the Glazers would make their decision on what's next, with a prospective announcement on a preferred bidder in the next seven to 10 days if they decide to sell. Ratcliffe valuing the club higher than the Sheikh Jassim-led bid is understood to be a continuation of the second-round offers, and has raised sudden questions from those involved over how serious the Qatari bid now is. Many sources are conscious of the amount of "game-playing" and "poker faces" in the process, which is why the next seven to 10 days may be decisive.
