Saudi Arabians join race to buy Manchester United: Report

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. 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. 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. 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.