Manchester United bidders preparing higher offers, Bloomberg reports

Bidders for Manchester United are preparing to launch improved offers ahead of a 9 p.m. deadline in London, David Hellier and Giles Turner of Bloomberg report, citing people with knowledge of the matter. A Qatari consortium, led by Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad J.J. Al Thani, is set to raise an initial debt-free offer from GBP 4.5B, a source told Bloomberg. British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is also expected to improve on his first offer, which was less than GBP 4.5B, the sources added. While Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe are the only two parties to have publicly declared interest buying Manchester United, it’s still possible other suitors will emerge, the people said. However, there is growing concern in some quarters that the Glazers will ultimately decide against an outright sale of Manchester United, sources told Bloomberg. Shares of Manchester United are up 3% to $24.64 following the report.