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Do Man Utd finally have new owners?! Sheikh Jassim's company officially registers in the UK after Rio Ferdinand drops big takeover hint

After months of soft deadlines and extended rounds of bidding there are some hints that a sale of Manchester United may be close to completion.

Sheikh Jassim's UK company officially incorporated
Ferdinand says "Qatari takeover imminent"
Qatari consortium reportedly negotiating exclusivity

WHAT HAPPENED? Nine Two UK Holdings Limited appeared on the official UK government's Companies House website on Thursday with Sheikh Jassim named as one of the directors. The registration came the same day that former United defender Rio Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel that the believed the Qatari takeover was "imminent".

WHAT THEY SAID: Ferdinand claimed: "The Man Utd takeover is imminent. We are hearing the Qatari bid is the one that has been accepted, the one that is imminent and the one that is going to go through. Hallelujah, man. I cannot wait. Please let this happen."

AND WHAT'S MORE: Reuters have further reported that the Old Trafford club have began negotiating exclusivity with the Qatari consortium, freezing out any other bidders for the club for a given timeframe. While it appears the Qatari bid has become the preferred option the report did not rule out a further move from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS.

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WHAT NEXT FOR UNITED? Fans will be hoping for a swift conclusion after a protracted sales process that has rumbled on for months.