Man United could be sold for a WORLD RECORD fee of more than £5BILLION

Manchester United will be sold for a world-record fee – should the Glazers accept any of the incoming bids to control the club.

Officials are hopeful offers of more than $5 billion will be received before Wednesday’s deadline

United expects six offers that would represent a mix of full acquisition and partial investment.

Of those, at least two – the Qatari bid revealed by this newspaper and that of rival Sir Jim Ratcliffe – are expected to be in excess of £5bn. Initial bids are believed to have been closer to £4.5bn.

Those involved in the race believe another round of bidding could be invited before a buyer is chosen, with Easter seen as the decision time. Then another phase of negotiations would take place.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) and a Qatari bid involving Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani are the favorites in the bid to take over Manchester United

United’s second round of bids deadline is Wednesday and the club are expecting six offers

Last week a delegation from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani visited Old Trafford and Carrington for tours, presentations and an opportunity to ask questions. The talks lasted more than 10 hours and were described as warm and positive.

While Ratcliffe and his group’s visit was about three hours shorter, they appeared to make a good impression on those involved in the process, which is being led by US banker Raine Group.

The view is that the Glazers are interested in an outright sale but would make investments should their valuation not be met.

Sheikh Jassim’s offer applies to all United shares and he has promised to pay off the club’s debts. As Ratcliffe seeks to buy the 69 per cent stake currently owned by the Glazer family, he could join a number of groups also on the hunt.

A total of around eight groups were guided through the stadium and training grounds, with the Jimmy Murphy Center – normally used for media work and press conferences – being transformed into a sales room for two weeks.

The club’s chefs prepared meals for those in attendance, while the press was forced to take a step back in time.

Manchester United has been put up for sale by its American owners, the Glazer family

Fans have long protested the Glazers during their club’s games over the years

Avram Glazer (centre) was present for United’s Carabao Cup final victory at Wembley last month

Instead of their usual venue, press conferences took place in the small room to the right of reception – where Sir Alex Ferguson regularly shared his hilarity.

US firm Elliott Investment Management, which has offered financing, was among the eight, along with others from the same country.

The presentations were made by Raine and United representatives, including John Murtough and Richard Arnold, but none of the Glazer family were present.

The Broncos were bought last June by a group fronted by Rob Walton, a member of the family that owns retail giant Walmart. The $4.65 billion paid at the time was equivalent to approximately £3.71 billion.