Man Utd takeover news: Next stage in bidding process ‘revealed’ with impact on summer transfer plans

Parties interested in buying Manchester United will have to submit a third round of bids, according to numerous reports.

The deadline for the second round of offers was on 23 March, with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Thomas Zilliacus the only confirmed parties to make an offer, but it’s believed Elliott Investment Management have made an approach to provide a minority investment that would allow the Glazers to stay in control.

But following recent reports that there’s growing frustration at how United’s owners are handling the process, talkSPORT have claimed there will be a third set of bidding to buy the club. They report that the Glazers value the club at around £6bn but the offers submitted from Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe are closer to the £5bn mark, with the pair seen as the leading candidates to complete a takeover.

However, according to Sportico, there are up to seven potential groups still in the running to buy the club.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail report that the third round of offers must be submitted before the end of the month and state that the process will have to ‘progress rapidly’ if a new owner is to be in place in time for the summer transfer window to open.

“The decision to move to a third round, rather than enter into a period of exclusivity with one group, may suggest that the Glazers have not yet attracted a price at which they are happy to sell,” the Mail add.