The deadline for bids to buy Manchester United may have passed late on Friday night, but that was only the beginning before a weekend of rumours and reports about who has an advantage in the ever-changing process.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS and the Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani fronted Nine Two Foundation remain the two frontrunners that much is agreed on. Picking a party who is in pole position and pipping the other to being bestowed with preferred bidder status by the merchant bank Raine and, by extension, the Glazer family is an altogether different question.
All of that assumes that selling a majority stake is the intention of United's owners. American investment firms Ares, Carlyle and Elliott are all bidding to become minority stakeholders and help finance refurbishments at Carrington and Old Trafford.
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Here is a round-up of the latest reports after Friday's deadline day.
Ratcliffe 'outbids' Sheikh Jassim with £5bn+ offer
Ratcliffe and INEOS widely reported to value United higher than the Sheikh Jassim fronted Nine Two Foundation during the third and final round of bidding to acquire the club.
The Daily Mail and The Times report Ratcliffe, rather than Sheikh Jassim, is the only one offering a proposal valuing United at over £5 billion. INEOS want to acquire a 69% majority stake but have also proposed purchasing a marginal controlling stake - by buying out Glazer siblings Bryan, Darcie, Edward, and Kevin - to allow brothers Joel and Avram to remain as minority stakeholders.
Initial indications were that Sheikh Jassim's offer exceeded the £5bn mark but is now being disputed, with claims that Ratcliffe has consistently outbid the Nine Two Foundation during the previous bidding rounds. Clarity could come in the next week to ten days, by which time a preferred bidder should have a period of exclusivity.
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