Manchester United co-owners Joel and Avram Glazer could be ready to use a US hedge fund to remain in charge.
Britain's richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassin bin Hamad al-Thani, were among the bidders told last week they would be invited to meetings at Old Trafford for the next stage of the potential 6bn takeover.
But behind the scenes there is increasing speculation that the two most prominent members of the Glazer family are seeking to engineer a buy-out of their siblings to ensure they remain at the United helm, says The Sun.
It has been known for weeks that Joel and Avram are the least-minded of the six siblings to sell up.
While the other four want to cash in, they are understood to feel that the club can add value with internal investment, including on the proposed Old Trafford replacement, making a future sale even more lucrative.
That split within the family has been blamed by some analysts for the sales process - which started in November and has a deadline of the end of May - being on a go-slow.
And it has now emerged that there is a growing belief that the two board members are ready to get into financial bed with Los Angeles-based Ares Management to put together a deal their brothers will accept and to remain in charge at Old Trafford.