Who could buy Manchester United and how much is it worth?

Manchester United's owners, the Glazer family, are considering selling the club as they explore "strategic alternatives". If the Glazers decided to follow through with the sale of the Old Trafford club, here could be some of the possible buyers:

British billionaire Ratcliffe, a long-standing fan of the 20-times English champions, declared his interest in August but said two months later he was told by the Glazers the Premier League side was not for sale when he contacted the family.

He had also failed this year in an attempt to buy London club Chelsea, ultimately bought by an investment group led by American Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

Ratcliffe's name was widely mentioned among United fans as someone many would welcome, although there are fears he might be priced out with some estimates putting the club's worth at more than $4.5 billion.

Chemical firm INEOS, where Ratcliffe is chairman, declined to comment.

The Financial Times said former England captain and United midfielder David Beckham was open to having talks with potential bidders interested to boost their chances of buying the club.

As a player, the former Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy man won many trophies but as a co-owner of Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, he has endured a bumpy path.

Beckham remains a popular figure at Old Trafford as one of the leading players of United's treble-winning campaign under manager Alex Ferguson in 1998-99 and his long history with the club will be a bonus for any consortium.

In 2010, the Red Knights, a group involving former English Football League chair Keith Harris, then Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill, and British investor Paul Marshall had put their plan to buy the club on hold due to "speculation in the