Nice captain Dante has hit out at Sir Jim Ratcliffe and urged the Ineos chief to focus on the Ligue 1 outfit amid his attempts to purchase Manchester United.
Ratcliffe, 70, is regarded as one of the frontrunners in a takeover saga which is threatening to spiral into the summer. He and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani have submitted proposals for United across three separate rounds of bidding since the Glazer family announced they were seeking "strategic alternatives" back in November.
Whilst it remains to be seen when a preferred bidder will actually be communicated, it is believed that Ratcliffe is in pole position to get the nod ahead of Sheikh Jassim.
But that news isn't particularly being welcomed on the other side of the channel. Ratcliffe also owns Ligue 1 outfit Nice, who are currently sat in ninth position in Ligue 1. And Brazilian midfielder Dante has hit out at Ratcliffe over the team's current plight in the wake of his attempts to purchase another football club.
Dante told French outlet L'Equipe : "I think at some point you have to be clear in what you're saying. To maintain a project, maybe you need to speak less about objectives and work in silence to create an environment of competitors. Because the expectation is even bigger, and then after, people are frustrated.
"The best thing to do is to prepare as quickly as possible for next season in order to start it well."
The current uncertainty surrounding the club's long-term future is believed to be hampering Erik ten Hag 's summer transfer plans. And Dante believes that Nice need to focus on getting the building blocks in for next season in place now - a view that will resonate with plenty of concerned Manchester United fans.
Join the debate! Who would you like to see win the race to purchase Man Utd: Ratcliffe of Sheikh Jassim? Let us know here.
Dante added: "Do you remember how many players came in at the end of the transfer window last summer? Six left, six arrived. It's difficult in these conditions. Simply, we mustn't make the same errors.
"If someone wants my opinion, the earlier we organise ourselves, the better it will be. If we want to aim higher, we have to anticipate things and put the values of the organisation in place.
"When the coach [Lucien Favre] arrived, we said in two years that we would always be in the Champions League. It doesn't work like that. Ligue 1 is very difficult. We lost ten players, ten arrived. The teams in the semi-finals of big competitions play together for three, four years. We changed everything last summer.
"There is a lack of coherence somewhere. I am sorry to say that."
