Manchester United takeover battle intensifies as increased bids are made

theguardian.com:

The battle to take over Manchester United has intensified after Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani both submitted improved bids shortly before Wednesday night’s 9pm deadline.

While both sides were keeping the size of their offers close to their chests – and not commenting publicly due to a strict non-disclosure agreement all parties have had to sign – it is widely expected that they will top the highest first-round bid, which was believed to be approximately £4.5bn.

However, despite frenzied speculation in recent days, some well-placed sources have cautioned that the bids may still fall short of the Glazers’ desired asking price of between £5bn and £6bn.

There is also scepticism in some quarters over recent reports linking United with as many as eight potential suitors – with some privately speculating that the Glazers and the Raine Group, the banking firm charged with brokering the sale, are hoping the stories will encourage even larger offers.