Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been forced to accelerate his plans to buy Manchester United or miss out.
It comes as the club told interested parties to formalise their interest by mid-February as the Red Devils hope to conclude a sale by the end of the season. The Glazer family, who bought United in 2005, put the asset up for sale in November and are looking for as much as £8billion to sell.
Ratcliffe, who is a fan of the Red Devils, could make an offer and United chiefs believe that he will enter the race to take over the club. However, he is not involved in any of the three parties who are currently holding talks – with interest from the Middle East, Asia and America.
