<p>Saudi Arabia has joined the race to buy Manchester United ahead of Friday's nominal deadline, according to a report in Britain's Daily Telegraph, raising the stakes in what could be the most lucrative deal in sports history.</p>.<p>The American Glazer family, who completed their takeover of the 20-times English champions in 2005, announced in November that they were open to a sale or investment.</p>.<p>British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos company officially joined the race to buy the club last month -- the only bidder to publicly declare an interest so far.</p>.<p>There have, however, been numerous suggestions of a possible Qatar bid, with The Guardian reporting the state's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, was interested in buying United, just weeks after the energy-rich Gulf nation hosted the World Cup.</p>.<p>But with United's shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, brokers acting for the club will be obliged to consider offers even after Friday's 'soft' deadline expires.</p>.<p>The Glazers had signalled they were open to both minority investment and a full takeover but the latter now appears to be their preferred option.</p>.<p>Deeply unpopular with supporters since they saddled the club with huge debts in a £790 million ($961m) leveraged takeover in 2005, the Glazers further angered fans by backing the failed European Super League project in 2021.</p>.<p>United have partnered with Saudi Telecom, the country's biggest telecommunications company, before.</p>.<p>The Telegraph reported sources close to the country's £515 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF) had played down the likelihood of a state-backed bid to the regime given their existing involvement at rival Premier League club Newcastle United.</p>.<p>According to reports, the Glazers are seeking £6 billion for the three-time European champions, which would smash the record fee for a football club set by Chelsea last year.</p>.<p>A consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital paid £2.5 billion for the Blues with a further £1.75 billion promised in further investment in infrastructure and players.</p>.<p>Any Saudi Arabian investment at United would prompt outrage from human rights groups who have spoken out against the Gulf state following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.</p>.<p>A Qatari takeover would be opposed on similar grounds, with Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK's economic affairs director, saying it would represent "a continuation of this state-backed sportswashing project".</p>.<p>A successful Qatari bid would raise sporting questions as well, given the emirate also controls one of the club's European rivals, Paris Saint-Germain.</p>.<p>Manchester United have not won the Premier League since 2013 and have failed to win any silverware since 2017.</p>.<p>They are third in the Premier League this season after an improvement in form under manager Erik ten Hag, who took over before the start of the current campaign.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia has joined the race to buy Manchester United ahead of Friday's nominal deadline, according to a report in Britain's Daily Telegraph, raising the stakes in what could be the most lucrative deal in sports history.</p>.<p>The American Glazer family, who completed their takeover of the 20-times English champions in 2005, announced in November that they were open to a sale or investment.</p>.<p>British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos company officially joined the race to buy the club last month -- the only bidder to publicly declare an interest so far.</p>.<p>There have, however, been numerous suggestions of a possible Qatar bid, with The Guardian reporting the state's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, was interested in buying United, just weeks after the energy-rich Gulf nation hosted the World Cup.</p>.<p>But with United's shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, brokers acting for the club will be obliged to consider offers even after Friday's 'soft' deadline expires.</p>.<p>The Glazers had signalled they were open to both minority investment and a full takeover but the latter now appears to be their preferred option.</p>.<p>Deeply unpopular with supporters since they saddled the club with huge debts in a £790 million ($961m) leveraged takeover in 2005, the Glazers further angered fans by backing the failed European Super League project in 2021.</p>.<p>United have partnered with Saudi Telecom, the country's biggest telecommunications company, before.</p>.<p>The Telegraph reported sources close to the country's £515 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF) had played down the likelihood of a state-backed bid to the regime given their existing involvement at rival Premier League club Newcastle United.</p>.<p>According to reports, the Glazers are seeking £6 billion for the three-time European champions, which would smash the record fee for a football club set by Chelsea last year.</p>.<p>A consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital paid £2.5 billion for the Blues with a further £1.75 billion promised in further investment in infrastructure and players.</p>.<p>Any Saudi Arabian investment at United would prompt outrage from human rights groups who have spoken out against the Gulf state following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.</p>.<p>A Qatari takeover would be opposed on similar grounds, with Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK's economic affairs director, saying it would represent "a continuation of this state-backed sportswashing project".</p>.<p>A successful Qatari bid would raise sporting questions as well, given the emirate also controls one of the club's European rivals, Paris Saint-Germain.</p>.<p>Manchester United have not won the Premier League since 2013 and have failed to win any silverware since 2017.</p>.<p>They are third in the Premier League this season after an improvement in form under manager Erik ten Hag, who took over before the start of the current campaign.</p>