INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani are both eager to quickly complete a takeover of Premier League club Manchester United from the Glazers.
British billionaire Ratcliffe – locked in a takeover battle with Sheikh Jassim after the Glazers put the club up for sale in November – has confirmed he’s still very much in the race to buy the club despite dissident voices in Qatar suggesting otherwise. Both parties have submitted final bids, with a preferred bidder expected to be named shortly.
Rumors have been rife that Sheikh Jassim is the favorite in the takeover bid and that it would only be but hours before he is named as the new owner. However, Ratcliffe has disparaged this rumor, insisting instead his bid is exactly what this “special” club needs.
Despite being English football’s dominant club when the highly unpopular Glazers purchased them in 2005, United haven’t won a Premier League title for a decade while their most recent Champions League triumph was in 2008. Hence United fans are understandably desperate for manager Erik ten Hag to lead them to glory and Ratcliffe believes he’s the right alchemist with the potent solutions to bring about that transformation and resurgence.
The British billionaire provided an update on the takeover saga to The Sun, revealing that he had already met with the Glazers “a couple of times” but also admitted: “I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I can’t say too much. But there is still a process – and we are in the process.”
He added: “We have a good offer and we have met with the Glazers a couple of times. We have had good discussions with them. We would still very much like to do it. And we would be doing it for the right reasons. But in the end it is their decision not our decision.”
Ratcliffe went on to claim United are “very special and rare – like art”. Some fans are concerned Ratcliffe will change the name of Old Trafford to include the INEOS branding, but he’s promised not to do that – claiming it would be “heresy”. He also explained why he and his INEOS partners want to buy United, saying: “It is one of our key interests – get the lads in the pub and football is one of the two or three subjects we ever talk about.
“It’s football. We’ve worked really hard all our lives. Now we’ve made a bit of money so you’re allowed to have some fun, so long as it’s sensible economically.”