Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that pictures of Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer at a hotel owned by the father of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani is nothing more than a "red herring".

Why was Avram Glazer at a Qatari-owned hotel?

It feels as though the ownership saga and Old Trafford could soon be coming to an end, but there may well be a few twists and turns remaining yet in this story.

After all, it has recently been reported that the Glazer family prefer the proposition made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS that will be a joint-ownership model instead of a full takeover.

However, it has since been revealed by Fabrizio Romano that Sheikh Jassim has "made another increased bid" and so he remains very much in the race.

Only adding fuel to the flames of recent speculation, pictures published by The Mirror showed Avram Glazer recently outside the Qatair-owned Claridge's Hotel in Mayfair, London.

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Despite the excitement this may have caused for some fans, Jacob has poured cold water on the rumours, explaining that even contacts from Sheikh Jassim's side state they are not relevant.

While talking on UnitedPeoplesTV, the journalist said (32:19): "It's a total red herring.

"And if you were to hold a direct meeting with representatives from the Nine Two Foundation, then you're not going to do it in Claridges or any other HBJ-owned [Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani] hotel. It's simply not how a meeting of that importance would take place.

“And I think if you look at the Glazers, and when they've come over to England, these type of hotels are where they stay or visit, and that's just normal.

“So people will read a lot into it. But I'm told, even from sources on the Qatar side – and you would expect them to fuel it if it was something significant – that where Avram Glazer was pictured was a total red herring."

What does this mean for the MUFC takeover?

And so, it sounds as though the Glazers are simply the sort of family who will stay in the best hotels across London, and it just so happens that Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani owns a fair few of those.

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With that being the case, it seems wise to read nothing into this particular development – even if some fans are probably desperate for any nugget of potential information that could explain how this saga will eventually conclude.

But what is apparent is the Qatari bid is not going away any time soon despite the reports of the interest towards the proposal from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Indeed, there's been suggestions that Sheikh Jassim's interest in the Red Devils goes beyond whether they're able to secure Champions League football this season.

For now, though, the MUFC takeover still remains up in the air.