Man Utd takeover: Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim to ‘submit new bids’ as deadline ‘extended’ with five other offers made

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani are both ‘set to submit new bids’ to buy Manchester United after Wednesday’s 9pm submission deadline was extended.

That is according to several reports, with BBC Sport stating a number of other bidders had submitted their offers before 9pm on Wednesday.

Ineos owner Sir Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim are the only proposed owners to publicly declare their interest after the Glazer family put the Old Trafford club up for sale earlier this season.

A deadline had been set for 9pm on Wednesday for revised bids to be submitted to investment bank Raine, who are handling the process, however both Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim had reportedly asked for more time with both granted their requests in a shock twist to proceedings.

Earlier in the evening, claims had been made Sheikh Jassim had submitted a ‘world-record’ bid for the club, but it now appears that is yet to be made. It was reported the bid could be as high as £5.5bn.

Meanwhile, Ratcliffe previously told the Wall Street Journal that he was unwilling to pay over the odds for the club, stating: “What you don’t want to do is pay stupid prices for things because then you regret it subsequently.”

Ahead of Wednesday’s 9pm submission deadline, The Daily Mail have reported that Ratcliffe could link up with another party to increase his offer. The boyhood Man United fan already owns Ligue 1 club Nice, after purchasing the French outfit in 2019.

The Glazers are said to be seeking as much as £6n for the sale of the club. Sheikh Jassim’s representatives visited Old Trafford and Carrington last week while Sir Ratcliffe also visited the stadium and training ground on Friday and briefly met manager Erik ten Hag.

The bids from the pair are expected to arrive on Thursday, with five offers submitted on time, according to the Mirror. Up to eight bids had been expected by Raine.