Manchester United's takeover saga continues to drag on, with the Glazers yet to make an official announcement about the future of the club more than six months after initially putting it up for sale.
Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have long been viewed as the frontrunners to buy United and it has been suggested a decision is imminent over who the Glazers' preferred bidder will be.
A report from Qatari outlet Al-Watan, which is 50 per cent owned by Sheikh Jassim's father, claimed on Monday that his bid had been successful. However, the Press Association later revealed that those within Sheikh Jassim's camp had dismissed the report as 'pure speculation'.
And a new report from ESPN states that several investment firms also 'remain in the running', having offered to buy a minority stake in United that would see the Glazers remain as majority shareholders.
When they first put the club up for sale in November, they did state that they would "consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the Company".
The report states that global investment firm Carlyle Group, hedge fund Elliott Management, investment manager Ares Management and investment company Sixth Street Partners have all made minority investment offers.
If the Glazers decide against selling the club to Ratcliffe or Sheikh Jassim, it is said they will need to 'raise significant capital' in order to fund redevelopments at Old Trafford and Carrington and that is where the minority investment comes in.
The news comes after United boss Erik ten Hag stressed the need for funds to buy new players this summer, with the uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the club making it much more difficult to navigate the transfer window.
"No, I don't have influence on that [how much United spend], I don't have and also I don't know," Ten Hag said last month. "The only thing I know is that Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, one of the biggest two or three from a fanbase perspective.
"The club has to compete for the highest in the world - the Champions League and Premier League. But in football you need funds to construct squads because, at end of the day, the level of your players decides if you are successful or not.
"Everyone knows you need funds to construct a squad and high level players cost a lot of money. That's the situation nowadays in top football. I think it's clear what I want, but it's not up to me.
"It's about others in this club. The family are the owners, they make the decisions, it's not up to me. I do everything I can and I influence the processes that I'm in charge of."
