British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made his intentions known that he wishes to buy Manchester United.
The Glazers announced in November last year that they are considering selling United and that they are ready to "explore strategic alternatives for the club". Following on from that announcement, Failsworth-born Sir Jim has now confirmed, through his company Ineos, that he is "in the process" to acquire the Old Trafford club.
A spokesman for the petrochemicals billionaire told The Times: "We have formally put ourselves into the process."
When The Times previously posed the question as to whether this would be something that Ratcliffe, owner of Ineos, would be interested in back in August, a spokesperson said: "If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer.
"If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership. 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."
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MEN Sport has taken a look at who Ratcliffe is and his background.
Who is Sir Jim Ratcliffe?
Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth and is a boyhood United fan. He is currently the owner of French Ligue 1 side Nice and owns the chemical company Ineos.
Football is not the only passion of Ratcliffe's as his Ineos group are the backers of cycling team Ineos Grenadiers, formerly Team Sky. Although he has supported United since he was a child, after moving to London, Ratcliffe became a season ticket holder at Chelsea.
He would also go on to make a last-minute bid to take over the Stamford Bridge club when Roman Abramovich was forced to sell earlier this year, however his attempts failed. According to Forbes, as of 2022, Ratcliffe has an estimated net worth of $16.3bn (£13.5bn).
What has Ineos previously said about buying a Premier League club?
Speaking back in 2019 to BBC Radio 5 Live, Ratcliffe's brother Bob said: "We spent quite a lot of time looking at Premier League clubs. We looked at the valuation of Premiership clubs and £5bn in revenues for the Premier League and top six clubs being valued at £2bn and upwards, and £450 [million] of net profit before tax.
"[It's] pretty difficult to rationalise purchases in the Premier League at this time for us and then, if you look below the top six, they're all £150m and above and you're going to write a cheque for £50m and get in the 'Everton Cup'. There was some early exchange [with Chelsea] but we were a significant way apart on valuations.
"The issue with Chelsea is its stadium. We are all getting older and it is a decade of your life to resolve that."
What could this mean for United?
It is clear that there is definite interest from Ratcliffe in buying United. However, there are a couple of stumbling blocks.
The biggest stumbling block at present is the Glazers, and whether they would actually be open to selling up. Financial sources, though, believe the American family will have to eventually bring in an investor or sell to improve the club’s cash flow.
There are not many people who could afford to buy United - the biggest club in the Premier League and one of the biggest in the world - but Ratcliffe is one of them, and his declaration of interest in buying United is undeniably a huge positive for those fans wanting to see the back of the Glazers.
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