Sheikh Jassim is losing ground in the Manchester United takeover battle.
Bloomberg is reporting Sir Jim Ratcliffe leads the race with his minority share scheme now being favoured.
Ratcliffe is in talks with the Glazer family about a minority share, believed to be around 25 per cent.
United's owners prefer the INEOS owner's proposal, which would see brothers Avram and Joel staying at the club.
Sheikh Jassim, meanwhile, has insisted on a straight all-or-nothing buyout of the club.
