The Qatari-led takeover of Manchester United is facing major obstacles to being completed, 12 years after the Red Devils rejected a £1billion bid from the country's royal family.
United have been put up for sale by current owners the Glazer family, amid mounting pressure from supporters. They have employed the Rainer Group to find a buyer, with an initial price tag of £6billion having been slapped on the club.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the founder of Ineos, is thought to be one of the interested parties. And it now appears that he is being rivalled for a takeover by investors from Qatar, with the state's sovereign wealth fund already owning Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
According to the Daily Mail, a group of private investors have launched bid to invest in the Red Devils. They are expected to make an offer in the coming days, one they believe will blow their rivals 'out of the water'.
But a potential stumbling block has emerged that could leave the bid dead in the water. While they are not directly involved, Qatar Sports Investments is expected to play some sort of role in the potential takeover.
QSI already own PSG, with UEFA rulings stating one entity cannot own two clubs in the same competition. That rule affects United as they could face PSG in European competition.
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The takeover would also need Premier League approval and is likely to face opposition given Qatar's dire record on human rights. It is not the first time Qatar has attempted to buy United, with the family of the Emir having had a £1bn bid rejected in 2011 by the Glazers.
After seeing their rejected, they eventually bought a 70 per cent stake in French giants PSG. They have completely transformed the club since becoming involved, although they are yet to win the Champions League.
According to CBS Sports, QSI are not 'directly involved' in this fresh bid for the Premier League giants. But PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is likely to be involved in some capacity, potentially creating problems.
It is also said that any Qatari group wanting to buy United will first seek the approval of QSI to press forward. Even if QSI give their permission for a Qatari-led bid to go ahead and the deal is approved by the Premier League and UEFA, it is likely that United will be treated as secondary to PSG within the Middle East country.
A group from Saudi Arabia are expected to provide competition, with the Raine Group having set an initial deadline of mid-February for any bids. Ratcliffe has been heavily linked with submitting a bid, though so far no offers have been confirmed.
The Glazers are though ready to leave Old Trafford after 18 years in charge at Old Trafford. Fan protests have intensified over the past decade, with the club more than £500million in debt and having not won the Premier League title since 2013.
