Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus has insisted that he would be able to raise the funds required to buy Manchester United from the Glazer family.

The 69-year-old recently said that he had made an offer to purchase the 20-time English champions in a unique deal which would involve the club's supporters.

As it stands, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani are the two favourites to complete a takeover of Man United, with both parties recently submitting second offers.

However, it is believed that the bids are still short of the asking price set by the Glazers, with the club's American owners thought to want around £6bn.

Zilliacus's recent words have reportedly not been taken seriously by Man United, but the businessman has insisted that he can raise the amount of money required to purchase the club.

Meanwhile, the former chairman of Finnish football club HJK Helsinki has revealed that he would be interested in owning the Red Devils alongside both Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim.

"I don't see any reason why I can't work with Sir Jim and Sheikh Jassim," The Mirror quotes Zilliacus as saying in a statement. "It makes perfect sense.

"We could agree on a price the Glazers will accept and instead of one of us paying a huge sum to buy United, we split the cost into three. We then use the money we have saved to improve the club and pool our collective expertise to help rebuild the club we all love.

"Someone said to me that you don't buy a Ferrari and then share it with two other people. But this isn't an ego trip for me. I don't think you can ever own an institution like Manchester United - the club belongs to the fans.

"I would regard myself as a custodian of the club with a responsibility to build and protect it until it is time for me to leave. I know people think I am the outsider in this process and that I don't have the money because my vision involves allowing fans to buy shares in the club.

"So let me put the record straight - I can raise enough money to buy Manchester United. I know a lot of investors around the world who want to join me in this. I haven't had the same access to financial information that has been granted to the other two bidders so that obviously puts me at a disadvantage.

"There are some details that are publicly available but when it comes to a deal like this you need to see the full picture - and that can only happen if you meet with representatives of the other party. That's the only way to understand how much money it is going to cost to develop the club and then table a bid you feel is fair. I can't make a bid based only on assumptions.

"Of course, there also has to be some clarity on whether the current owners actually want to sell. Some people who know how the family works have said to me that some of them want to sell and others are against that idea."

Zilliacus, who is also the ex-owner of ice hockey team Helsingin Jokerit, is the founder of the Mobile FutureWorks Group. body check tags ::