Britain's richest man Jim Ratcliffe grew up supporting Manchester United, and could be set to do business with the English club in his role as owner of French side OGC Nice.
Ratcliffe, who has previously said he would not be interesting in buying United from current owners the Glazer family, is worth an estimated $14.7bn after making his money with chemicals company Ineos.
Ineos owns Swiss club Lausanne-Sport, and completed a takeover of French top-flight club OGC Nice in 2019.
Nice are currently in the running for a Champions League spot, having emerged as one of the closest challengers to Paris Saint-Germain, and reports in France suggest they could aim to strengthen their position with a move for United midfielder Jesse Lingard.
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Lingard's Manchester United contract is up in the summer, and the England international has been linked with a Premier League move in the January transfer window.
United are keen to offload him permanently for the right price to avoid losing him for free - and Ratcliffe could step forward with a solution by funding a move.
West Ham United are reportedly keen after a successful loan move for the player last season, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also in the mix.
However, according to Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness), Nice have reentered the race after previously showing an interest in the 29-year-old.
The report suggests finances could prove an issue for the Ligue 1 side, who finished in mid-table last term after dismissing manager Patrick Vieira partway through the season.
Christophe Galtier is now in the dugout at Allianz Riviera after winning the title with Lille last season, and spent heavily over the summer to bring in the likes of Jean-Clair Todibo from Barcelona and Justin Kluivert from Roma.
Morgan Schneiderlin is also on their books, and the French international previously spent time as a teammate of Lingard's at Old Trafford.
Nice owner Ratcliffe was 113th on Forbes' 2021 Billionaires List, and ranks higher on the list than Premier League club owners such as Arsenal's Stan Kroenke and Tottenham Hotspur's Joe Lewis.
However, when interviewed by The Times in 2019, he moved to distance himself from a takeover of the club he grew up supporting.
"(Ineos) never wants to be the dumb money in town, never, never," he said.
"(United) haven't got the manager selection right, haven't bought well. They have been the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred.
"We won't look elsewhere until we have had a good run here (at Nice). We need to find out how to be successful before you ever want to write a big cheque. It's quite difficult."
Nice have begun to kick into gear this term, winning their last five games in Ligue 1 to leapfrog neighbours Marseille and move into second spot.
The addition of Lingard in January is seen as a challenge, but the England international could provide the quality needed to keep them in the top two.
