Sir Jim Ratcliffe's offer for Manchester United has reportedly valued the club higher than the bid submitted by Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Sheikh Jassim is believed to have submitted an offer in excess of £5bn to take full control of the 20-time English champions, with Raine Group, who are working on a potential sale, currently assessing the bid.
Ratcliffe, on the other hand, only wants a controlling stake of the Red Devils, which is likely to be in the region of 51%, with the Glazers keeping a minority shareholding of around 20%.
According to BBC Sport, the offer from Ratcliffe's Ineos Group has put a higher value on the club than Sheikh Jassim's, placing the British billionaire in a strong position to win the race.
There is believed to be disagreement within the Glazer family of the best course of action to take.
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Co-owners Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer are believed to be keen to bring in investment, but siblings Kevin, Edward, Bryan and Darcie are thought to be looking to remove themselves from the club entirely.
At this stage, it is unclear whether any other offers aside from the ones from Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim have been submitted, with a number of other parties believed to be keen on investing in the club.
Any takeover is now highly unlikely to be completed before the start of June, which would leave a new owner with little time to prepare for the summer transfer window.
The 20-time English champions are expected to spend heavily in the upcoming market, as they bid to build on the progress that has been made this season under the management of Erik ten Hag.
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Man United suffered disappointment in the Europa League, being eliminated by Sevilla in the semi-finals of the competition, but they won the EFL Cup at the end of February.
The Red Devils will also face Manchester City in the final of the FA Cup at the start of June, while they are fourth in the Premier League table, six points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with two games spare.
Sheikh Jassim has already promised to clear all of the debts at Man United, while he is also prepared to invest heavily in Old Trafford and the club's training ground.
Last November, the Glazers announced that they were open to selling the Red Devils, but there has only been slow progress made over the last few months due to the complexities surrounding a takeover.
Matt Law
