UNITED 'TAKEN ABACK' BY NEWS

SOURCES close to Sir Jim Ratcliffe have responded to claims that United are in the process of a takeover.

- By JAKE STOKES

Earlier this week, Turki Al-Sheikh shared posts on social media that claimed the Reds were in 'advanced negotiations with a new investor'.

According to Charlotte Dunker at The Times, United officials have been 'taken aback' by the Saudi Arabian billionaire’s activity on X, formerly known as Twitter, claiming his reports were 'news to them'.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the journalist added that Ratcliffe and his INEOS staff don't believe what Al-Sheikh said to be true either.

On Wednesday night, the Saudi government official claimed that United were close to agreeing on a deal. With Ratcliffe having only recently acquired a minority stake, many speculated that the cryptic post was about the Glazers.

On X, Al-Sheikh wrote: "The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor... I hope he's better than the previous owners."