Journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Thomas Zilliacus is not a favourite to take over Manchester United despite his recent bid to buy the club.
What's the latest on Thomas Zilliacus and the Man Utd takeover?
The Finnish businessman, chairman of the social media group novaM Group, entered the race to buy the Glazers asset after tabling a bid that would see him buy half of Manchester United and allow fans to buy the other half.
Of course, the likes of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have long been spoken about as possible new owners and had tabled their own bids before Zilliacus came forward.
And when talking about the situation on The United Stand, Romano refused to rule out the 69-year-old Finn completely – but claimed that he wasn't likely to succeed at this stage.
The journalist explained: "Honestly, I am not one to doubt him and his bid and this project. But at the same point, it's just a feeling because, you know, I'm not into the negotiations and so we don't know exactly what's going on.
"But the feeling of sources close to the negotiation is that the Qatari group and the INEOS group are the two big favourites. So if something will happen, these look like the two big favourites to buy Manchester United.
"Then we know that in football in general, and especially in a sales process with top clubs like Manchester United, we never know until the end. But these two groups are the two big favourites, for sure."
Who will buy Man Utd from the Glazers?
Despite the apparent doubt, Zilliacus certainly seems confident that his bid is comparable to what has been offered to the Glazer family so far.
Indeed, he recently told the Manchester Evening News: "The formal bid we have submitted is, I dare to say, on the same level and in line with the other bidders that have been discussed in public.
"We are discussing with a number of parties and if we are allowed to proceed, then we will select the ones who fit best into the framework in what we want to achieve with the club."
The article explains that Zilliacus' bid is being funded by XXI Century Capital, an investment firm owned by his holding company which comprises of investors from Europe, Asia and America.
However, it remains to be seen if the Glazers will even opt to sell to anyone, with the eldest member, Avram, said to be against a full sale of the club (via Daily Mail).
