Raine Group - the investment firm in charge of the sale on behalf of the Glazers - set a soft deadline of 10pm Friday for official interest to be formalised.
Sheikh Jassim - the chairman of one of Qatar’s biggest banks and son of former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani - was the first to table his offer.
A statement read: “The bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch, and - above all - will seek to place the fans at the heart of Manchester United Football Club once more.
“The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports.
“The vision of the bid is for Manchester United Football Club to be renowned for footballing excellence, and regarded as the greatest football club in the world.
Then, hours later Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s firm INEOS also made their bid public. The British billionaire is a lifelong Man United fan.
Here’s the reported net worth of Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim - compared to Newcastle, Man City and other Premier League clubs’ owners.
1. 22nd: Brentford - Matthew Benham
Reported net worth: £25m Photo: Clive Rose
2. 21st: Nottingham Forest - Evangelos Marinakis
Reported net worth - £505m
3. 20th: AFC Bournemouth - Bill Foley
Reported net worth: £1bn
4. 19th: Southampton - Dragan Solak and Katherina Llebherr
Reported net worth: £1.05bn