"We can confirm that our offer has been submitted," a source close to Sheikh Jassim told AFP, without giving details.

"Sheikh Jassim remains fully involved and confident in his offer. We think this is the best offer for the club, the fans and the local community," she said.

The English press also reports that Ratcliffe, owner of the petrochemical group Ineos and several football clubs, including OGC Nice in France, also participated in this second round of auction.

The first call for tenders, mid-February, had proved a little disappointing for the owners, the Glazer family, who hoped for nearly 7 billion euros, while the first valuations were closer to 5 billion.

According to the English media, the offers this time reached or slightly exceeded 5 billion pounds (5.7 billion euros), after the main candidates came to visit the club's facilities and meet its management at the end of last week.

This sum is a record for a team sports club in the world, but remains below what the American owners hope and the uncertainty about the continuation of the process therefore remains intact.

"The next steps will depend on the seller, we do not expect an immediate response," the source close to the matter told AFP.

Up to eight candidates?

In addition to the two main candidates identified, other non-public offers were expected, with the television channel Sky Sports even evoking between five and eight offers in total.

Some investment funds, such as Elliott Investment Management, former owner of AC Milan, have positioned themselves to help finance all or part of a sale that is anything but certain.

The Glazers, at least Joel and Avram, the co-presidents of the Red Devils, have never ruled out the possibility of staying in place, despite their very strong unpopularity.

If they find a financial partner to allow other family members to leave the club, invest heavily in infrastructure, or even reduce or write off the club's €580 million debt, they could very well snub offers that they don't think are enough.

Jim Ratcliffe's comments Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal have lowered his rating.

"What you should not do is pay crazy sums for things that you regret later," he said about the purchase of a club that he has supported since childhood.

Banking turbulence

Whether with football clubs Nice and Lausanne in the Swiss league, or with his cycling team Ineos Grenadiers, Ratcliffe has a reputation as a savvy investor.

He also wants to take over only the share held by the Glazer family in the club, 69%, while his Qatari rival aims for a 100% acquisition.

If the Glazers rely solely on the amount received, Sheikh Jassim seems to have a head start.

This is all the more true since it would probably not need to go through a banking sector where the climate is currently very tense to finance its offer, after the bankruptcy of three US regional banks and the emergency takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS.

It is not impossible that the agreement that Ratcliffe seemed to have with the US banks Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan to finance his offer could be affected by the current turbulence.

But the Glazers, who have resolved not to sell before the end of the season, could also decide to take all or part of the candidates in a third and final round of bidding.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at an international conference on March 5, 2023 in Doha © KARIM JAAFAR / AFP

The good sporting health of the club this season - third in the league, winner of the League Cup, qualified for a semi-final of the FA Cup and a quarter-final of the Europa League - finally plays in their favor and, in this game of poker-liar, they have a very good hand.

© 2023 AFP