Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Britain’s richest man worth £12bn – wants to BUY a stake in Man United… with the Red Devils fan (who also bid for Chelsea) keen to eventually take full control at Old Trafford
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe is interested in buying English giants Manchester United
- The billionaire Ineos owner holds significant interest in the Premier League side
- A spokesperson confirmed Sir Ratcliffe would welcome talks with the Glazers
- Ratcliffe wants to invest in the club before taking full control of Man United
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy a stake in Manchester United with a view to purchasing the majority shareholdings in the Premier League club from current American owners, the Glazers.
A spokesperson, speaking on behalf of the billionaire Ineos owner, outlined the English businessman views himself as a ‘potential buyer’.
Ratcliffe, a self-confessed Manchester United fan, is open to purchasing a minority investment in the organisation with an aim to taking full control of the club in the future.
The 69-year-old recently tried to purchase Chelsea but saw his late bid turned down as current owner Todd Boehly and his consortium took ownership of the London club.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy a stake in Premier League club Manchester United
A self-confessed Manchester United fan, Ratcliffe wants to purchase the struggling club
Ratcliffe tabled a last-minute £4.25billion offer to purchase the Stamford Bridge side in May but now aims to become Manchester United owner after registering his interest.
Ineos revealed that company founder and Britain’s richest man has plans to buy the record Premier League holders after reacting to previous news regarding potential investment in the club.
‘If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer,’ the spokesman told The Times.
‘If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership,’ the spokesman added.
Ineos then added that Ratcliffe would use investment to upgrade current infrastructure such as the deteriorating Old Trafford, with a need to press the ‘reset’ button.
United fans were hoping for another new era this season as Erik ten Hag became the club’s fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
But a 2-1 home loss to Brighton on the opening day of the season, followed by a 4-0 thumping away to Brentford has left them bottom of the Premier League standings.
Ratcliffe, 69, is Britain’s richest man with a staggering reported net worth of £12billion
‘This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent.
‘Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset.’
The current ownership model at the club see’s the majority of control lie with the Glazer family, with Avram and Joel Glazer the main representatives of the family.
Other holdings in United are largely owned by investors on the New York Stock Exchange.
They purchased in the club in 2005, and despite coming in for swathes of criticism since their takeover, have recently been slammed by supporters, pundits, and former players with the club in disarray after years of poor management and recruitment.
Team Ineos currently owns Ligue 1 French side Nice since buying the club in 2019
Bought for £790million, a Bloomsberg report revealed that the Glazers now value United at around £5billion, and have held initial discussions about bringing in new investment.
But there has so far been zero notion that they are willing to sanction a full sale of their Premier League asset after 17 years in charge.
The Ineos owner is no stranger to sporting investment having bought Ligue 1 team Nice in 2019 for £85million, and has invested heavily in the team since his takeover.
They also own and run professional cycling side Team Ineos, and are significant partners of Mercedes Formula One team, and the New Zealand All Blacks, along with further investment in sailing.
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