Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'to complete Manchester United deal during international break'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 10 November 2023

Ratcliffe 'to complete Man United deal during international break'

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's deal to purchase 25% of Manchester United will be completed during the upcoming international break, according to a report.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's deal to purchase 25% of Manchester United will reportedly be completed during the November international break.

Almost 12 months has passed since the club's current owners the Glazer family signalled a willingness to enter into discussions over a sale of the 20-time English champions.

For a long period, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani had been seen as the favourite to complete a full takeover of the Red Devils, but the Qatari banker recently withdrew his offer.

Ratcliffe is set to pay around £1.3bn to purchase 25% of Man United, and the owner and founder of the INEOS Group is expected to take over football operations upon his arrival.

According to BBC Sport, the deal which will see the 71-year-old become a minority shareholder in the club is set to be agreed during the upcoming international break.

Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe is pictured at Old Trafford in Manchester, Britain, March 17, 2023 © Reuters

The report claims that Ratcliffe had initially been looking to buy 69% of the club but revised his offer due to the stance taken by the Glazers, who have ultimately decided against a full sale at this stage.

There is a belief that the British billionaire wants to complete a staggered takeover of the club, although it is unclear at this stage what that potential deal would look like.

Ratcliffe, who attempted to purchase Chelsea last year, has allegedly committed an extra £245m to improve Man United's infrastructure.

There has been huge criticism of the club's training ground and also Old Trafford, with the famous stadium falling behind a number of the team's Premier League rivals in terms of modern grounds.

Nice owner Jim Ratcliffe before the match on April 20, 2023 © Reuters

Despite the team's on-field issues this term, Ratcliffe is reportedly fully behind the club's manager Erik ten Hag, with the Dutchman set to be given the chance to turn the season around.

Wednesday's staggering 4-3 loss to Copenhagen in the Champions League made it nine defeats in all competitions this season, with five of those occurring in the Premier League.

The Red Devils have won six of their 11 league games this term, though, and despite sitting down in eighth position in the table, they are only six points off fourth-placed Arsenal.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Ratcliffe has been in discussions with the club's co-chairman Joel Glazer over changing the structure on the football side of the club.

As a result, the jobs of Man United chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough are believed to be in doubt, with Ratcliffe expected to want to bring in his own team.