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[ad_1] MANCHESTER: A leading Manchester United fans' group called on Sunday for clarity on the future of the English giants amid speculation British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is set to take a minority stake in the club. United's owners, the American Glazer family, announced nearly a year ago that they were exploring "strategic alternatives to enhance the club's growth", with a full sale one of the options. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani withdrew his attempt to buy the 20-time English champions, a source close to the bid told AFP on Saturday. Ratcliffe was the other frontrunner during several rounds of bidding, but no offer has yet met the £6 billion ($7.2 billion) valuation put on the club by the Glazers. Founder of petrochemicals giant Ineos, Ratcliffe will now settle for a 25 percent stake for around £1.3 billion, the BBC said on Sunday. Ineos will reportedly seek to take control of the sporting side of United's business in retu

[ad_1] LONDON: Rival bidders for Manchester United have been invited to submit a third offer by the end of April, according to reports. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe both submitted a second bid for the Premier League club last month. Several offers are understood to have been received in recent weeks but Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe remain the front runners to buy United should the Glazers give up control of the club they bought in 2005 for £790 million ($980 million). United's unpopular owners announced in November they were conducting a strategic review, with the sale of the club one option being considered. The Qatari group has reportedly made an offer of about £5 billion for 100 percent ownership of the club while Ratcliffe , a boyhood United fan, wants to buy the combined Glazer shareholding of 69 percent. The Americans' asking price is believed to be around $6 billion -- a figure that

[ad_1] MANCHESTER: Rampant Manchester United are eager to inflict more pain on Liverpool at Anfield as Arsenal aim to pull further clear of Manchester City in the Premier League title race this weekend. The Gunners are hot favourites to see off Bournemouth at the Emirates, while City face a Newcastle side hoping to put the bitter disappointment of their League Cup final defeat behind them. Tottenham must bounce back quickly from an FA Cup exit to maintain their advantage over Newcastle and Liverpool in the race for a top-four finish. AFP Sport looks at some of the key talking points ahead of the weekend's action in the English top flight. Liverpool won both Premier League fixtures against fierce rivals United last season by an aggregate score of 9-0. However, the fortunes of both clubs have dramatically changed over the past 12 months. Fresh from lifting the League Cup to end a six-year wait for silverware, United's run of one defeat in 22 games has kept them in

[ad_1] LONDON: A consortium led by a Qatari banker announced Friday it had submitted an offer to take full control of Manchester United, with British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe also reported to have lodged a bid. Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani "today confirmed his submission of a bid for 100 percent of Manchester United Football Club", his press release said ahead of Friday's "soft" deadline for bidders. Ratcliffe's company Ineos is the only other bidder to have officially declared an interest, keen to expand a sporting portfolio that already includes French side Nice and Swiss team FC Lausanne-Sport, as well as the cycling team Ineos Grenadiers, formerly Team Sky. The Daily Telegraph reported late Friday he had told Raine Group, the US merchant bank conducting the sale, that he could be the club's "long-term custodian". A BBC report said Ratcliffe had submitted a bid before the 2200 GMT deadline. A bid from Saudi Arabia had als

[ad_1] LONDON: Casemiro scored twice as Manchester United turned on the style to beat 10-man Reading 3-1 and reach the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday as Tottenham forward Son Heung-min ended his recent goal drought. On a day lacking major shocks, there were wins for Premier League strugglers Leeds, Leicester and Southampton but Fulham were held by Championship side Sunderland. United – fourth in the Premier League and within touching distance of a place in the League Cup final – produced more compelling evidence they are back on track under new manager Erik ten Hag . The home side took the lead at Old Trafford in the 54th minute when Anthony produced a defence-splitting pass to find Brazil teammate Casemiro, who lifted the ball over goalkeeper Joe Lumley. Four minutes later United were two up, when Casemiro let fly with a stunning strike from outside the box to find the bottom corner. With the home side brimming with confidence, substitute Fred produced an audacious flic