Man Utd to receive ‘up to eight’ takeover bids before Wednesday deadline

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 21 Mar 2023 12:17 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United could receive as many as eight takeover bids before Wednesday's deadline for second offers.

So far, two parties have made official approaches to buy the club: INEOS owner and lifelong Man Utd fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.

But competition to succeed the deeply unpopular Glazer family as owners at Old Trafford could be about to intensify dramatically.

READ MORE: Man Utd’s new Qatari owners tipped to sign Saka and Odegaard

Sky Sports are reporting that 'more than five bids will be made' for Man Utd ahead of the Wednesday evening cut-off.

The 13-time Premier League champions have been on the market since November, when the Glazers – since 2005 – announced that they were looking at "strategic alternatives to enhance the club's growth".

Glazers could yet stay on at Old Trafford

However, just because Man Utd are up for sale and actively meeting with potential buyers doesn't mean that the club will be sold.

The Glazers have reportedly set their asking price at a whopping £6 billion – £1.75bn more than Todd Boehly and his consortium paid to buy Chelsea last year, for comparison.

If that enormous valuation is not met, the Glazers – whose controversial tenure has sparked many a vociferous fan protest – could remain in situ and sell a minority stake in the club instead.