US investment firm Sixth Street are interested in securing a minority stake in Manchester United, according to reports.
United were put up for sale by the Glazers in November, and formal bids are expected to start next month.
Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe announced on Tuesday that his firm Ineos have entered the race to buy the club, and Sixth Street are also keen to get involved, as reported by The Telegraph.
While it is understood that a full sale of the club is more likely, the Glazers would consider giving up a minority stake to an investment partner.
The Telegraph report states that Sixth Street would not be willing to commit to a full takeover.
Sixth Street have played a pivotal role in the refinancing of Real Madrid and Barcelona in recent years.
Both clubs were part of the European Super League (ESL) in 2021, but the breakaway division was scrapped after a matter of days following fan protests.
The two Spanish giants have continued to push for the ESL since, and have been exploring their legal options due to not being happy with the reforms to the Champions League that are due to come into effect in 2024.
Meanwhile, Sixth Street have been working away in the background and struck a 20-year deal worth €360m with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez last year that will allow the club to operate businesses out of the redeveloped Bernabeu. The rebuilding job at the iconic stadium is due to be finished ahead of the 2023-24 season.
They also did business with Barcelona last summer as the Catalan club looked to sort out their financial issues.
In order to sign and register new players, Barcelona had to pull several financial levers, as they raised €700m by selling future revenue streams.
One of the deals that Barcelona agreed means Sixth Street now own 25 per cent of the club's income from LaLiga TV rights over the next 25 years.
By pulling these levers, this allowed Barcelona to bring in a number of high-profile players in the summer, including Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha.
They were also able to keep Frenkie de Jong rather than selling him to Manchester United or Chelsea, who both showed significant interest in the Dutch midfielder.