American investors Carlyle are in talks with Manchester United over a major investment at Old Trafford, Sky News report.
What’s the latest Man United takeover news?
The Glazers have scheduled a third round of takeover bids, with a deadline for final offers set for Friday, 28th April.
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe look set to make another bid to take full control from the Glazers, however, Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus withdrew from the race to buy Manchester United, hitting out at the current owners and describing the process as a 'farce'.
It doesn’t look as if it is a straight shootout between Jassim and Ratcliffe, though, with a fresh update coming to light in recent hours.
Sky News reporter Mark Kleinman shared a Red Devils takeover update he’s heard from Old Trafford on Saturday morning. He revealed that Carlyle, one of the world's largest private equity firms, are in talks about a major investment, with a source close to the situation saying this weekend that their interest in Manchester United was "serious".
Carlyle are among a handful of parties which have pitched proposals to acquire a minority stake in the club, with the investor’s assets worth more than $370bn (£298bn).
Could this be what Avram Glazer is after?
The Glazers haven’t exactly all been on the same page during the takeover process, with previous reports suggesting that Avram Glazer doesn’t want to sell up. Therefore, allowing Carlyle to invest in the club by purchasing a stake at Old Trafford could be appealing to him, allowing him and his siblings to remain as majority owners.
However, should Jassim and Ratcliffe submit improved bids closer to their £6bn valuation over the coming weeks, that could also tempt the family into a complete sale.
It looks as if they will have plenty of options on the table when deciding their next step in May, but manager Erik ten Hag could be hoping that the process speeds up so that the off-field saga does not impact the club's transfer plans this summer, something which Old Trafford staff appear to be wary of.