The Red Knights, a group of wealthy Manchester United football supporters, has begun a move towards a possible takeover of the heavily-indebted club.
The group, wants to wrest control of the Premier League champions from the United States based Glazer family and give United's global fanbase a significant role in running the club.
However the current owners have ruled out a sale of the club for the forseeable future but the Red Knights move is ecxpected to fuel an anti-Glazer protest movement among United fans who are angry at the way the club's debts have spiralled since the Americans took control in 2005.
The most recent accounts for United's parent company, show it had over $1.5 billion of debt.
