Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani makes bid for Manchester United

Sheikh JassimJassim bin Hamad al-Thani has made a second bid to buy Manchester United, it is understood. The Qatar Islamic Bank chair, son of a former Qatari prime minister, placed his second round offer late on Friday night.

A source close to the bid says the Qataris remain confident of completing a takeover at Old Trafford despite rival interest from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus.

The deadline for offers had been set for 9 pm on Wednesday. There are as many as eight potential investors reported to be interested in the first round of bidding last month. One or more initial bids were reported to be in the region of 4.5 billion, according to one or more of the initial bids.

The Glazer family, who acquired the club for 750 m in a highly leveraged deal in 2005, announced last year they were looking for strategic alternatives that could include a sale.

Sheikh Jassim said that his interest is a private initiative through his Nine Two Foundation and is not connected to the Qatari state. His representatives visited Old Trafford last week for talks.

Ratcliffe, who made an unsuccessful bid to buy Chelsea in 2022 and owns French club Nice, visited Old Trafford last week. Born in Manchester area, the 70-year-old is a boyhood United fan. He is one of the richest people in Britain with an estimated wealth of 6 billion.

The Finnish businessman, Zilliacus, confirmed earlier this week that he has also submitted a bid. He is the founder and chairman of Mobile FutureWorks, and wants to buy United in a 50-50 partnership with their fans, who would supposedly have a say in the decision-making process at the club.

There has been little known of other potential bidders until now, but it has been reported that the US hedge fund, Elliott Management, has proposed a proposal that would involve offering finance to new bidders or the Glazers.