Rival groups from China and Dubai will make moves for the club in the next few months, according to the newspaper.
It is believed United owners, the Glazer family, want at least £1bn if they were to sell the club.
A United source told News of the World: “The Chinese people literally have billions behind them and the Dubai group are not far behind.
“It could turn into a bidding war and that will push up the price. That will leave the Glazers facing huge pressure to sell.
“They have an enormous debt which was raised when they bought United and the temptation to cash in and make a profit of over 295m will be hard to resist.”
A financial insider added: “The Glazers have publicly stated they are not interested in selling but even their resolve will be tempted by an offer close to 1.5bn.
“It’s a phenomenal sum for a football club but it reflects fairly accurately United’s worth.
“No other club has such a mass appeal as United.
“Globally, they have an incredible attraction and that’s why it’s no surprise a Chinese consortium are waiting in the wings. Dubai has already shown interest in Liverpool but United are the ultimate prize — and there will be influential people in that part of the world who would consider it a shrewd investment even at 1.5bn.”
