Al Thani - the son of former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani - met with officials at Old Trafford last week, as did Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group, who are also set to table an improved bid.
Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe are the leading contenders, although the likes of Elliott Management remain interested in purchasing a minority stake. The Glazers want £6billion for Man United, and Jassim is ready to bid between £4bn to 6bn, according to Sky Sports News.
Any bid over £3.75bn would break the world record fee for a sports club set when the NFL side Denver Broncos were sold to Walton-Penner group. The Raine group, acting on behalf of the Glazers, will take around a week to evaluate the new bids before deciding on their next move.
A successful takeover by Sheikh Jassim would see the Red Devils become the third Premier League club with ownership links to the Middle East after Manchester City (Dubai) and Newcastle United (Saudi Arabia).
Here’s the reported net worth of Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe - compared to Newcastle, Man City and other Premier League club 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