Manchester United Sale Update: British Billionaire Not Paying 'Stupid Prices' For Club

Manchester United fans have long been calling for a change of ownership and many of them view British billionaire and Ineos chemicals founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe as their savior.

However, Ratcliffe is not quite eager to play games with the Glazer family over taking control of the legendary English Premier League club.

Speaking with the Wall Street Journal following his meeting with Manchester United officials last Friday, March 17, Ratcliffe declined to talk about the financial details, but hinted that he would not be paying a "stupid" figure that he will inevitably feel upset over.

"How do you decide the price of a painting? How do you decide the price of a house? It's not related to how much it cost to build or how much it cost to paint. What you don't want to do is pay stupid prices for things because then you regret it subsequently," Ratcliffe was quoted to have said.

As it stands, Ratcliffe only has one opponent for the purchase of his boyhood club: Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani–the chairman of the Qatar Islamic Bank.

According to reports, his team had met with members of Manchester United's upper management the day before Ratcliffe had his own meeting and the race to outbid one another is about to begin very shortly.

Sky Sports revealed that Sheikh Jassim is expected to file a formal bid for the Red Devils sometime on Wednesday, March 22.

Forbes has Manchester United valued at $4.6 billion and based on a handful of disputing reports on the valuation of the club by the Glazer family, it is believed that they are looking for a bid between $7.2 and $9.6 billion from interested parties.

However, soccer finance expert Kieran Maguire told CNN that current offers for the world-famous club is "somewhere in the region of $4.8 to $6.04 billion."

For the most part this season, Manchester United has thrown themselves back in among the elites of English soccer as they are currently third in the Premier League with 50 points, 11 behind second-place Manchester City.

They are also set for an FA Cup showdown with Brighton and Hove Albion in the semifinals on April 22 plus a UEFA Europa League quarterfinals matchup with Sevilla the day prior, April 21.

While a domestic league title is pretty much out of their grasp since they are 19 points behind league-leading Arsenal, hope is very much alive that they can bring more silverware back to Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have already won the English Football League Cup this season after a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on February 26.

With a sale expected to happen anytime between now and the end of the season, Manchester United fans have a lot to look forward to both on the pitch and behind the scenes.