The giant American financial investor Carlyle is in talks about a major investment in Manchester United as the auction of the Premier League side nears its concluding stages.
Rushhoursport has learnt that Carlyle is among a handful of parties which have pitched proposals to acquire a minority stake in the Old Trafford outfit.
Carlyle, which has assets of more than $370bn (£298bn) under management, ranks among the world's largest private equity firms
In the UK, it has owned companies including the RAC breakdown recovery service, and Addison Lee, the taxi-hire group.
One source close to the situation said this weekend that Carlyle's interest in Manchester United was "serious", adding that it had been engaged in discussions for some time.
Nevertheless, key details of Carlyle's proposal, including the amount of capital it would look to deploy and the structure of a deal, have yet to be finalised.
Carlyle declined to comment
