A new contender, the investment group that takes everyone by surprise to acquire United

American financial investor giant Carlyle is in talks about a big investment in Manchester United Football Club as the Premier League team's auction nears its final stages.

Sky News has learned that Carlyle is among a handful of parties that have launched proposals to acquire a minority stake in the Old Trafford team. Carlyle, which manages assets of more than $370 billion, is among the largest private equity firms in the world.

In the UK, it has owned businesses including the RAC breakdown recovery service and Addison Lee, the taxi hire group. A source close to the situation said this weekend that Carlyle's interest in Manchester United was serious, adding that they had been in talks for some time.

However, key details of Carlyle's proposal, including the amount of capital he would seek to deploy and the structure of a deal, have yet to be finalized. Since then, dozens of parties have been rumored or reported to have shown interest, though few have emerged as genuinely credible bidders.

Carlyle declined to comment.

Carlyle's interest arose a fortnight before a deadline set by the Raine Group, the advisers handling the sale process, for final proposals to acquire or invest in Manchester United. Sky News exclusively revealed last November the Glazer family's plan to explore a strategic overhaul of the club its members have controlled since 2005, kicking off a five-month battle to buy it out.