Report: Some fear Glazers trying to boost value of Man United, not sell it

Some parties connected with the bidding process for Manchester United fear that the revered Premier League club may not be up for sale after all.

There's growing concern that the Glazer family, which owns Manchester United, is trying to boost the value of the club rather than sell it, according to The Guardian's Sean Ingle.

The latest concerns come after Wednesday's deadline for the second round of bids was pushed back, per Ingle. Additionally, some connected with the sale are reportedly questioning the validity of claims that eight suitors are interested in purchasing Manchester United. Only two, INEOS owner Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim's Qatari consortium, have expressed public interest.

It's suspected that the Raine Group, the merchant bank in charge of the bidding process, is attempting to drive up the price nearer to the Glazers' £5-billion-£6-billion valuation by claiming there's more competition to buy the club than actually exists, Ingle reports.

The move could have the potential to either price Ratcliffe and the Qatar consortium - whose initial bids were worth around £4.5 billion - out of the race, or possibly create leverage for United's American owners to maneuver for another loan, Ingle adds.

There's also a chance that the Glazers could shift their focus to selling a minority stake in the club to a U.S. hedge fund. The Glazers mentioned the possibility of selling a minority stake in November when they said they'd consider "all strategic alternatives."

The potential sale could see Manchester United become the most expensive franchise in sports history, beating the record set last year when the Denver Broncos were bought for $4.65 billion (£3.78 billion).