Who are the Raine Group and what is Manchester United's 'soft' takeover deadline?

Manchester United are up for sale, with a diverse list of potential investors registering an interest in acquiring the club which is one of the most valuable sports brands in the world.

There has been talk of an internal takeover, in addition to a number of bids being tabled from around the world, with interest from the Middle East, USA and a British investor in the form of Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Whoever chooses to turn their interest into a concrete bid will have until the 10pm deadline to register their interest.

The Glazer family opened the possibility of receiving bids for the club earlier this season after 17 years in ownership. It has been a long journey, with on field success in the early years during Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure before tougher periods in recent times and fan discontent throughout. Here is all you need to know ahead of a potential takeover at the club.

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Any interest which evolves into concrete bids on Friday will be subject to scrutiny from investment banking firm, the Raine Group. The US bank who brokered Chelsea's takeover in 2022 have been charged with the same task on behalf of United. The deadline has been set by the firm, who will listen to bids with a reported asking price of £6billion set by the current owners.

At 10pm tonight, the soft deadline will pass for potential bidders to register their interest in investing in United. By the deadline this evening, they must provide a formal declaration of interest as well as proof of funds.

There are a number of names in the mix, with United being a huge global brand and a wide range of potential suitors have been either linked or spoken about their interest themselves. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are both