Manchester United are open to ownership offers and a Qatari group is putting forth an impressive bid to unsettle potential rivals.

Manchester United are likely to be approached with an offer from Qatar as the Glazers look to sell up but such investment could have undesirable effects when it comes to Champions League participation.

This is because of a rule, introduced in the late 1990s, known as the ‘Integrity of the UEFA Club competitions: Independence of clubs’. It states that no two clubs, operating in the same competition, can be directly or indirectly controlled by the same ownership group.

This is defined by several aspects, the main one being who the club’s majority shareholders are. The rules mean, if Qatar had both United and PSG under their control, they may well have to choose who goes into the competition, should they both qualify.

The Red Devils have been under American ownership for near enough two decades and there is a great desire from fans to see them leave. The Glazers’ running of the club has been heavily criticized with the Red Devils declining on the pitch whilst their infrastructure has become second rate.

United remain a massive asset and it will take a huge offer to see them change hands – but countries like Qatar possess such wealth and a major shift could be on the cards.

The Middle East nation has already displayed their financial power having owned PSG since 2011.

The French side was purchased by the Qatari Sports Investment (QSI) and have seen their profile – on and off the pitch – soar since then with the Parisians now a major power in Europe. They’ve met United on several occasions, but if they both operated under Qatari ownership it could have major repercussions.