Sir Jim Ratcliffe is at Old Trafford for talks over a possible Manchester United takeover.
The Failsworth-born billionaire, who submitted a bid to buy the club in February, was pictured arriving at the stadium on Friday morning and was greeted by United chief executive Richard Arnold. Ratcliffe and Arnold shook hands before entering through the same entrance that the players use on matchdays, situated on the corner of the stadium between the Stretford End and the Sir Bobby Charlton stand.
Ratcliffe, the founder and chairman of the INEOS chemicals group, is one of two parties to have firmed up their interest in buying United with a concrete bid.
Among Ratcliffe's delegation was former British Cycling chief Sir Dave Brailsford. Brailsford was appointed Director of Sport at INEOS in December 2021 and his responsibilities include overseeing the teams sponsored by the group.
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The other party interested in buying United is headed by Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani, and Qatari delegates held extensive talks with United officials on Thursday.
Both Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim submitted bids in February, and talks over a potential takeover have moved into the next stage with both parties.
Ratcliffe is understood to be scheduled to visit United's Carrington training complex on Friday afternoon after spending time at the team's home stadium.
The state of Old Trafford is expected to have a bearing on any eventual sale price of the club, given the extensive work that would be required to modernise the stadium or indeed build a new one.
Since their 2005 takeover, United's current owners, the Glazers, have been criticised for their lack of investment in the club's infrastructure, including the stadium and the training ground, which is also in need of modernising.
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