BREAKING: Rio Ferdinand claims Qatari buyout of Man Utd is 'imminent'

Rio Ferdinand has claimed that he knows who will buy Manchester United, saying the announcement of Qatari investment is 'imminent.'

Despite the fact that the Glazer family originally said they were interested in selling United at beginning of the World Cup last year, the club is yet to be sold.

Most recently it was claimed that Sheikh Jassim was about to be announced as the preferred bidder but once again that seemed to be a false dawn.

The reports appeared to emanate from a Twitter account based out of Cardiff with less than 300 followers and were then picked up by media in England and the Middle East.

The Qatari bid came out and rubbished the idea they'd beaten Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the race but according to Ferdinand they will be announced imminently, as you can see in the video below.

"Man United takeover is imminent," the former centre back said on his Five YouTube channel.

"We're hearing that the Qataris, the Qatari bid is the one that's taking over. It's the one that's going to be accepted and it's the one that's going to go through.

"Hallelujah man.

"We can't wait. Please let this happen, please let it be true.

"Look how long this has gone on man, the Glazers have dug their heels in and they're going it seems to the one who bid the most money, the biggest bidder.

"They've certainly dragged this out and dug in their heels, I wanted this sorted out before the transfer window opened."

Protests against the Glazers have continued throughout the prolonged sale. Image: Alamy

United fans have long protested against the Glazers ownership of the club, as the Americans have continuously taken money out of United, seen their bank loans increase through interest and not invested enough in the club.

Transfer money have continued to be spent from what the club makes but it has still been a long period of neglect in many other areas from those at the top.

The extended amount of time it's taken for the owners to pick a preferred bidder will no doubt have impacted this summer's plans as they attempt to close the gap on rivals Manchester City.

Neither the Qatari bid or the one from Sir Jim Ratcliffe would be without its issues but many fans will just be glad when it's all over.

Topics: Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Premier League

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

@Sidler28