Sports finance expert Dr Dan Plumley has claimed that Manchester United's current owners the Glazers are now leaning towards accepting the offer on the table from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The Qatari banker has submitted an offer, thought to be in excess of £5bn, to complete a takeover of the 20-time English champions, with a deal potentially going through next month.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe also made an offer before the deadline for the third round of bidding, but the British billionaire is only looking for a controlling stake of Man United, which could see the Glazers stay on as minority shareholders.
Sheikh Jassim has allegedly not yet been contacted by Raine Group, who are working on a sale.
However, according to Plumley, the Qatari banker's bid is likely to prove to be more popular with the American owners despite claims that co-owners Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer want to remain at the club.
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"I think the decisive factor is always simply money when it comes down to it. If not the best offer on the table, it'll be the one that is slightly preferred based on the finances behind it," Plumley told Express Sport.
"If that is the price (£5/6bn) that the Glazers are wanting or at least are willing to sell at for a full takeover, let's say, my gut feeling on it, and you know you're always speculating slightly, but I just think the Qatar bid is probably slightly preferred at the minute because it's a full takeover.
"Also, through the connections of that owner, you know that you could get access to funds further down the line to build the club because you've got to look at infrastructure, you've got to look at squad development, etc. It's not just the takeover price, it's all the other stuff that comes with it, so it does feel like that's the one that has the most clout.
"I think that's always been the marker with this one [before the summer transfer window]. You have to look at that in the context of the November deadline in the first instance.
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"It's not unusual for these things to go that long, and actually, you will probably argue when you've got a £5/6 billion takeover in place that it does need to take time.
"You should be doing the full background checks all the way around. That's the kind of time element to it, it might feel like it's dragged on from a fan's point of view, but it was always likely to play out that way.
"It all seemed to be pointing towards a deal being done before the start of the next window so that the new owners potentially or investors could have plans in place for the summer and moving forward.
"I think we're still on that timeline. I know it probably feels like we've been talking about it forever, but it seems to be that we're moving towards that time scale still."
Sheikh Jassim has reportedly pledged an additional £800m, separate to his main offer, to invest into Man United's infrastructure, including improving Old Trafford and the club's training ground.
Meanwhile, the Qatari is expected to make significant transfer funds available to head coach Erik ten Hag should a takeover be completed.
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