Sir Jim Ratcliffe now favourite to become new Man Utd owner as his bid is HIGHER than Sheikh Jassim’s £5bn offer

SIR Jim Ratcliffe is now the hot favourite to win the bidding war for Manchester United, according to reports.

Through his firm Ineos, the British billionaire, 70, has made an offer in excess of £5billion, say the Daily Mail.

PASir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly leading the race to buy Man Utd[/caption]

Sheikh Jassim reportedly values the club

Ratcliffe is desperate for a 69 per cent stake in the club, or more than 50 per cent if Joel and Avram Glazer perform a sensational U-turn and decide to stay at the club.

On Friday, sources close to Sheikh Jassim, who is also in the running to buy the Red Devils, revealed his bid had broken the £5billion barrier.

However, that has since been quashed with sources close to US merchant bank Raine Group, who are managing the bidding process, claiming that the Ineos offer values the club at much higher.

Ever since United were put up for sale in November, Ratcliffe and Jassim have remained interested parties in acquiring the Premier League giants.

Before an earlier deadline, both Ratcliffe and Jassim had said they had made offers, although it was later confirmed they had both asked for an extension on the deadline.

The final bids were made before Friday’s deadline, with the Glazers now mulling over the offers.

A decision for the preferred bidder could be made within the next ten days.

Sheikh Jassim has made no secret that he would want a 100 per cent stake in the club and is also said to be prepared to finance the rebuilding of Old Trafford in addition to his estimated £5bn offer.

But, with the Glazers appearing to favour a stay on the board in some capacity, despite a higher money offer that may hinder his chances.

It is believed Ineos have always held a higher valuation for United than Sheikh Jassim as the pair have fought it out for ownership.

The Glazers reportedly are fielding a number of other offers from US groups for a partial stake.

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A cash injection of that sort could generate up to £2billion, which would allow then to redevelop Old Trafford.

Transformation of the training ground is also said to be a priority, should any investment come in.

While, if the Qatari group led by Jassim is successful they reportedly want to bring Brazil superstar Neymar to the club.