Everything seems on course for Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe to acquire a 25 percent minority stake in Manchester United which would give him control over football matters at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n
Ratcliffe is already hinting he may refine the club\u2019s transfer plans with the focus on sourcing young talent after directing criticism at the club’s recruitment strategy back in 2019. The 70-year-old is a United fan since boyhood and is on the verge of purchasing a 25 percent stake\u00a0in the club after Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani\u00a0withdrew his rival bid over the weekend saying that the Glazer family\u2019s valuation of the club was unrealistic. Ratcliffe’s bid will be discussed at a board meeting this week.<\/p>\n
The British tycoom purchased OGC Nice in 2019 and is also the owner of Swiss outfit FC Lausanne-Sport but has always had a penchant to invest in a Premier League\u00a0club but his attempt to buy Chelsea last year was knocked back. Despite always having been vocal about his opinions on United in the past, he had refused to entertain the idea of trying to purchase the club from the Glazers until recently. He was however very critical of the club’s transfer strategy during an interview with The Times\u00a0four years ago.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThey haven\u2019t got the manager selection right, haven\u2019t bought well. They have spent the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred. United have spent an immense amount since [Sir Alex]\u00a0Ferguson\u00a0left and been poor, to put it mildly. Shockingly poor, to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe [at OGC Nice] have a different approach here to be moderately intelligent about it. Try to do it more grassroots, trying to locate young talent. Some clubs seem to have the ability to do that, Southampton\u00a0and Lille. United have done it really poorly. They have lost the plot.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"