- Both bids in before Wednesday deadline
- Believed to be in the £5bn region
- Still short of Glazers' valuation
WHAT HAPPENED? The latest information from Sportsmail suggests that both bids are in the region of £5 billion ($6.1bn) and corroborates reports that both Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe were preparing improved offers. Although that sum would obliterate the world record fee for a sports club - currently standing at the £3.7bn ($4.6bn) paid for the NFL's Denver Broncos - it still falls short of the Glazers' valuation of £6bn ($7.4bn).
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THE BIGGER PICTURE: This distance in price has sparked fears that a complete takeover deal may not get over the line. This is especially considering that both bidders believe they are the only interested parties in buying the club outright, a lack of competition which, as Sportsmail notes, could be detrimental to hiking up the club's value any further. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already been open about not wanting to pay over the odds, while it is thought that sentiment is shared with Sheikh Jassim.
AND WHAT'S MORE: There are other significant outlays that are not accounted for in that £5bn bid. Sportsmail highlights the necessary upgrades to Old Trafford, the club's Carrington training base as well as an inevitable large expenditure in the summer transfer window to bridge the 19-point gap with leaders Arsenal. Furthermore, partial investment offers remain on the table - that don't involve a full takeover - which would cover those aforementioned costs while keeping the Glazers in power.
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WHAT NEXT? Sportsmail notes that overseers of the process, the Raine group, may take the potential backlash associated with the Glazers staying on into their consideration. In any case, the group have up to seven days to respond to the latest set of bids, and a final round of bidding cannot be ruled out at this stage.