The Red Knights group are hoping Jon Aisbitt will agree to help with their bid to wrest control of Manchester United.

The group are believed to be looking to bring on board  Aisbitt, the chairman of MAN Group, Britain's biggest quoted hedge fund, as a potential investor in the Barclays Premier League champions.

The Glazers and United chief executive David Gill have repeatedly stated the club is not for sale, but a successful recruitment of Aisbitt may boost the Red Knights' power should a hostile bid be launched.

Aisbitt is a wealthy former Goldman Sachs partner and fits the bill of Red Knights leader Jim O'Neill, the chief economist of Goldman Sachs and a one-time friend of Sir Alex Ferguson, to raise funds to launch a bid for the club.

The Red Knights' stated aim is to raise £1billion to buy out the Glazers, who have plunged the club into debt to the tune of £716.5million.