(Football news) With Manchester United’s takeover gaining momentum, reliable reports have emerged that an investment from Qatar is likely in the coming days but sources indicate that the potential buyers will not be willing to overpay and meet the Glazer family’s £5bn asking price. The Qatari bid already has the approval of the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who is said to be a Manchester United fan. A bid from Saudi Arabia is also expected, which could potentially be the only two bids where financing is not required for a potential takeover.

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk has also been linked to a potential takeover but the multi-billionaire has been silent about any links so far. Musk has previously joked on Twitter about buying Manchester United and has said he was a Manchester United fan while growing up in South Africa.

The only confirmed bidder so far is petrochemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe who is working on a deal with US investment banks Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. While questions have been raised about Qatar’s intention to own both Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, the Red Devils will be owned by private investors from the royal family instead of Qatar Sports Investments, which could satisfy UEFA’s rules of multi-club ownership.

The Qatar Sports Investment bought a 70% stake in Paris Saint-Germain in 2011 and went on to buy the rest of the shares the following year, valuing the club at €100m. They went on to spend €80 million in the summer transfer window of 2011. The club is now worth £2.6bn. QSI have been unable to redevelop the PSG stadium Parc des Princes as it is owned by the city of Paris.

However, no such problem will exist for Old Trafford should they succeed to buy Manchester United. The Premier League is by far the most profitable football competition in the world and the global profile of the league is much higher than Ligue 1. This combined with the fact that Manchester United are one of the biggest brands in world football makes it an attractive prospect for potential investors.

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