Rival bidders for Manchester United have been asked to submit a third offer by the end of this month of April, according to reports.
Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe both proposed a second bid for the Premier League club last month.
Several offers are comprehended to have been received in recent weeks but Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe remain the front runners to buy United should the Glazers give up control of the club they bought in 2005 for £790 million ($980 million).
Manchester United’s unpopular owners declared openly in November they were conducting a strategic review, with the sale of the club one option being considered.
The Qatari group has were reported to have made an offer of about £5 billion for 100 percent ownership of the club while Ratcliffe, a boyhood United fan, wants to buy the combined Glazer shareholding of 69 percent.
The Americans’ asking price is acknowledged to be around $6 billion — a figure that would make the 20-time English champions the most expensive sports club in history.
Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus last month joined the race and US hedge fund Elliott Investment Management is understood to have made a bid for a minority stake.
The Glazers have enraged many United supporters by burdening the club with huge debts over the past 18 years.
They appeared ready to cash out at an enormous profit when they invited external investment in November but they could yet shun the option of selling a controlling stake.
