sport news The race to buy Man United: Qatari investors and Sir Jim Ratcliffe among those ... trends now

'Manchester United plc, one of the most successful and historic sports clubs in the world, announces today that the Company's Board of Directors is commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives for the club,' a club statement read on November 22 last year.

It was the moment many United fans had been waiting for as the Glazers effectively announced they were open to bringing their deeply unpopular 17-and-a-half-year-spell in charge of the club to an end.

The statement continued: 'The process is designed to enhance the club's future growth, with the ultimate goal of positioning the club to capitalize on opportunities both on the pitch and commercially.

'As part of this process, the Board will consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the Company.'

The subsequent months have seen several rumours circle with significant interest emerging in one of the world's leading clubs from all over the globe. 

The Glazers - who began their ownership with a leveraged £790million buyout in 2005 - have been busy marketing the club. 

Co-owner Avram Glazer reportedly flew to the World Cup in Qatar where he is said to have held a number of informal meetings with potential investors.

United even opened a pop-up shop in the Swiss ski resort of Davos during the recent meeting of the World Economic Forum in a bid to raise its profile among wealthy attendees.

US investment bank Raine - who organised the sale of Chelsea to American Todd Boehly last year in a £4.25billion deal - is running the sale on behalf of the Glazer family.

Sportsmail previously reported how the cost of the club, which is expected to attract initial offers of at least £4billion, has attracted considerable interest from potential buyers in the US, the Middle East and Asia. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe became the first potential bidder to put his hat into the ring in January and Sportsmail exclusively revealed on Tuesday that a group of Qatari private investors are also set to bid for the club. Furthermore, it's understood that United have already opened talks with the group.

The Glazers are thought to want between £6-8bn for the club which is likely to put some buyers off.

Nevertheless, with formal bids set to be submitted in the next week, Sportsmail takes a deeper look at the runners and riders currently in the process. 

The 70-year-old was the first party to throw his hat into the ring to purchase United after long-flirting with the idea of buying a Premier League club.

Ratcliffe was in the running to buy Chelsea last year before the Blues were eventually sold to a consortium led by Todd Boehly.

Back in the summer, before United were up for sale, Ratcliffe - through his company Ineos - announced his interest in taking over the Red Devils if they were ever put on the market.

'If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer,' a spokesperson for Ineos told The Times.

'If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.'

Furthermore, in October, Ratcliffe admitted: 'If [United] had been for sale in the summer then, yes, we would have probably had a go following on from the Chelsea thing.' 

Ratcliffe, a chemicals magnate, is worth an estimated £13.3bn and is known as Britain's richest man, while he is also a United fan which is likely to increase his popularity among supporters.  

He also revealed how his favourite moment following United was being there when they made their late comeback to win the Champions League in 1999 against German giants Bayern Munich, while he was born in Failsworth in Greater Manchester.

Ineos have gradually become more involved in sport over recent years, with the businessman buying French club Nice for £91m in 2019 two years after purchasing Swiss team FC Lausanne-Sport.

They also have ties to the Mercedes F1 team, British sailing legend Ben Ainslie and they are a performance partner to the All Blacks, while they also sponsor the cycling team, Ineos Grenadiers - previously Team Sky.

He then confirmed his interest in purchasing United last month after they had been officially put up for sale when a spokesperson for the billionaire simply said: 'We have formally put ourselves into the process.'

Ratcliffe - who met with co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer for formal talks last year - has since not said much about what he would do if his bid was successful.

However, when the interest arose back in the summer, Ineos explained that Ratcliffe would use investment to upgrade current infrastructure such as the deteriorating Old Trafford, and he stated there was a need to press the 'reset' button.

'This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent,' the spokesperson had said back in August.

'Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset.'

However, Sportsmail has previously reported that United officials have been privately scathing about Sir Jim Ratcliffe's plans to bid for the club, believing he has only entered the process to secure positive publicity for Ineos and that he has no intention of meeting the Glazers' asking price.

Sportsmail also reported that Ratcliffe could be edged out of the bidding if the Glazers hold out for the maximum price, handing a boost to another potential runner in the process - a group of private Qatari investors. 

It must first be noted that this group of investors from the Gulf state would be separate to the Qatar Sports Investments' ownership of Paris Saint-Germain, Sportsmail understands - and QSI would not present a problem in their attempts to take over United. 

This group comprises a number of wealthy individuals from the oil-rich state who are buoyed by Qatar's hosting of the World Cup and have now set their sights on a club they view as 'football's crown jewels'. 

They are expecting to make an offer for the club ahead of the mid-February deadline and are confident their bid will blow the competition out of the water. This belief is strengthened by the revelation that United have already sat down at the table with the group, and talks are ongoing.

It can also be disclosed that the group are already making plans for what should happen if they are successful. 

They want to arm manager Erik ten Hag with a vast transfer war chest in order to take United back to the top of world football,

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