Watch out Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim: Man Utd's new bidder

Stuart Telford

• 15 Apr 2023 05:53 CDT
• 3 min read

The Glazer family's sale of Manchester United is nearing its final stages, with Qatari Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe at the front of the queue to buy them, but there are some giant firms looking to enter the fray.

It is understood that the Glazers want £6 billion for a club the patriarch of the family, Malcolm, paid £800 million for with a debt-leveraged takeover in 2005.

Jassim and Ratcliffe are the two bidders who have come closest to the Americans' valuation, with both initially entering £5bn bids before the Qatari - Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to give him his full name - upped his to nearer the Glazer's asking price.

READ: 'Get out quickly!' - Neville sends Glazers message as Man Utd takeover stalls

But neither bid has yet been accepted, with the Glazers keeping the door open to a minority investment, and now American giant The Carlyle Group has entered the fray.

Carlyle's interest 'serious'

"One source close to the situation said this weekend that Carlyle's interest in Manchester United was 'serious', adding that it had been engaged in discussions for some time," report Sky Sports.

"Nevertheless, key details of Carlyle's proposal, including the amount of capital it would look to deploy and the structure of a deal, have yet to be finalised."

READ: Man Utd takeover on BRINK as Glazers 'frustrate' bidders

The Carlyle Group is headquartered in Washington DC and has $376bn worth of assets under its management. It was the largest private equity group by capital raised in the world in 2015, but dropped to sixth by 2022.

In the UK, it has owned companies such as the RAC and Addison Lee, a taxi-hire group.

Bidders have until 28 April to make a formal bid for Manchester United, which remains perhaps the most marketable brand in world football if not all of sports, despite not winning a Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in 2013.