Jan 18 (Reuters) - Jim Ratcliffe's company INEOS formally entered the bidding process to buy Manchester United on Tuesday, months after the club owners, the Glazer family, said they were considering selling the club as they explore "strategic alternatives".
MIDDLE EASTERN INVESTORSUnited's local rivals Manchester City are bankrolled by the Abu Dhabi United Group, while Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund completed a 300 million pound buyout of Newcastle United in 2021.
Bloomberg News reported this week that United, Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool were being targeted by QSI for a potential acquisition.
The Times newspaper, which first reported Ratcliffe's INEOS entering the bidding, said that interest from the United States and Asia is also expected.
Asked by the BBC at the time if he needed to raise four billion pounds to buy United, O'Neill said: "I'm not sure if it'll necessarily be that much, but let's see."