Sir Jim Ratcliffe enters final talks with Glazers for Manchester United takeover

Manchester United could see a takeover before the end of the month.

The chosen bidder for Manchester United could be nearing being revealed to the club's supporters.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani was said to be the Glazers' first choice on Wednesday. The Qatari investor would be highly regarded by United's existing ownership owing to the scale of his proposal, referring to a conversation with football finance specialist Dr Dan Plumley that was conducted by the Daily Express with Grosvenor Sport.

On Thursday, however, conflicting reports suggested that the Glazers favoured Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS proposal. According to earlier reports, Ratcliffe's revised offer may allow the American family to remain with the club as small shareholders.

The Glazers are reportedly prepared to part ways with Manchester United at last, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe the top contender, reported to The Sun. With Qatari financier Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Ratcliffe and his Ineos petrochemicals business were involved in a protracted bidding battle for control of British football's largest club.

The co-chairmen's increasing desire to stay at the club during the five-month management, which included three rounds of auctioning, was a major problem. SunSport has learned that Ratcliffe is the favoured partner and that the US-based Raine Group, the deal-makers picked by the Glazers, will announce the "winning" offer in the coming days.

It is believed that Ratcliffe will remove members of the board of United, particularly chief executive Richard Arnold, under the terms of the agreement. Joel and Avram Glazer would, however, remain at Old Trafford.

GiveMeSport has been informed by Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth that Erik ten Hag and the team are unaware of their situation before to the summer transfer season.

 "There are so many issues revolving around Manchester United just now concerning the takeover, the investment, and not only the recruitment of the players but who's going to be doing that recruitment," ten Hag explained.

"We're in May now. It's not long until this window opens. I'm sure that when this talk about investment and takeover began, the United fans would have wanted a quick resolution."