The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is interested in buying Manchester United. He values the club below the Glazer family’s £6bn price and there is recognition Uefa may have to agree to a regulation change as the country’s ruler already owns Paris Saint-Germain.

The emir purchased PSG in 2011 through Qatar Sports Investment. Current Uefa rules do not allow clubs with the same owners to face each other in one of its competitions, so a Qatar-owned United and Qatar-owned PSG would not be allowed to compete in a Champions League tie should such a fixture arise.

The Glazer family put United up for sale in November, announcing it is “commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives”, potentially bringing an end to its 17-year ownership of the club.

The Raine Group, which oversaw the sale of Chelsea, has been appointed as the exclusive financial adviser, and it believed £6bn is wanted for the 20-times champions of England. However, the emir believes £4.5bn is a more realistic price.

The billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest people, confirmed his company, Ineos, was in the running to buy United last month. Ratcliffe, 70, was born in Failsworth, which is now part of Greater Manchester, and is a lifelong United supporter.

Amnesty International has described Qatari interest in United as “another wake-up call” to the Premier League in regards to strengthening its ownership rules.