Qatar's Sheikh Jassim submits new bid for Manchester United

SHEIKH Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the son of Qatar’s former prime minister, has submitted an improved bid to buy Premier League club Manchester United, people familiar with the matter said.

Sheikh Jassim had made an earlier bid in February. A spokesperson representing Sheikh Jassim said at the time that the bid was completely debt free, via Sheikh Jassim's Nine Two Foundation.

No financial details of the new bid have been revealed.

Sky Sports News earlier reported that the bid was believed to be worth around £5 billion ($6.12 billion) but later reports on its website did not mention the figure.

Manchester United did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Manchester United's American owners, the Glazer family, launched a formal sale process late last year and have received several bids, including from British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, founder of chemicals producer INEOS, and Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus.

Any sale of the club would likely exceed the biggest sports deal so far, the $5.2 billion including debt and investments paid for Chelsea, sources said.

United are the fourth richest soccer club in the world, according to analysis by Deloitte. They are widely seen as one of the most prized assets in all of sport.

(Reuters)