Turki Al-Sheikh has sparked a clear Manchester United takeover timeline(Image: (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix))

Manchester United takeover speculation has been swirling over recent days with a potential timeline becoming apparent.

Rumours of external investment were ignited by major social media comments from prominent Saudi official Turki Al-Sheikh.

On Wednesday, he posted on X: "The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor... I hope he's better than the previous owners."

Speculation about a complete club buyout predictably followed such a significant statement, but the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority later provided clarification on his remarks.

"My yesterday's post about Manchester United's potential sale meant one thing: the club is in an advanced negotiation phase with a new investor," he explained on Thursday, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has recently described the Glazers as "nice people" that are "passionate" about Manchester United(Image: (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images))

"Just to clarify, I am...