Latest 'deadline' looms in Man Utd takeover saga

LONDON : Manchester United fans can be forgiven if they refrain from eagerly checking the news on Friday as the latest "deadline" looms in the meandering seven-month saga of the club's sale that is beginning to resemble the final series of TV's Succession.

In this real-life battle of the billionaires, Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Briton Jim Ratcliffe have each seemingly taken turns to be the preferred bidder, but in what has been something of a vacuum of confirmed news, and against virtual silence on the matter from the club, almost their every move comes with the caveat of "reportedly."

Britain's Daily Mail said this week that Sheikh Jassim, the son of a former Qatar Prime Minister, has made a "fifth and final" offer of more than five billion pounds ($6.28 billion) for total control of the club, with a deadline of Friday, after which he will not enter any further negotiations. That comes two months after a "third and final offer" was said to have been tabled.

Representatives of the Sheik did not reply to Reuters' request for clarification of their current bid status on Friday, as The Guardian reported that the bid would remain on the table beyond the deadline.

The current owners, the American Glazer family, initially invited bids for United, arguably still the biggest "brand name" in the world's most popular sport, in November.

Media reports in the UK suggested that the Glazers are seeking six billion pounds ($7.5 billion), which would be a world record for any sports club or franchise, but that neither bid is that high.

American Todd Boehly's consortium bought fellow Premier League club Chelsea for 4.25 billion pounds ($5.3 billion) last year - despite a late bid by Ratcliffe - while the Washington Commanders