Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly taken the lead when it comes to the race to complete a takeover of Manchester United.
Almost a year has passed since the club's current owners, the Glazer family, revealed that they were open to entering into discussions over a possible sale of the 20-time English champions.
Two main bidders in the shape of Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani have emerged, but the process has stalled, allegedly due to the Glazers having second thoughts over a sale.
Sheikh Jassim wants to complete a full takeover, with his bid said to be in the region of £5bn, but it is believed that the asking price of the current owners is closer to £6bn.
Ratcliffe had allegedly been looking for a controlling stake in the club before completing a full takeover within three years.
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However, it has since been alleged that the British billionaire is prepared to make an offer for a minority stake, which would be for around 25% of the club.
Ratcliffe's bid would reportedly be around £1.5bn, and according to Bloomberg, the British businessman has now moved into pole position.
The report claims that Ratcliffe's revised offer has 'given him the edge' over Sheikh Jassim, with the Glazers signalling that they would be willing to accept the proposed bid.
The owner and founder of the INEOS Group recently said that failing to purchase the Red Devils was not an option, but it has been suggested on a number of occasions that Sheikh Jassim is in pole position.
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Sheikh Jassim is reportedly not willing to increase his £5bn offer, believing that it is a fair price considering all of the circumstances surrounding the sale process.
However, there have been suggestions that the Glazers could actually push their asking price towards £10bn due to the amount of money that is coming into football from Saudi Arabia.
Sections of the Man United fanbase continue to protest against the Glazer family, and any deal involving Ratcliffe would prove to be unpopular, as the Americans would remain heavily involved.
The Red Devils have also had severe on-the-pitch issues this season, but they managed to beat Brentford 2-1 before the international break courtesy of a stoppage-time brace from Scott McTominay.
Matt Law
