Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have confirmed his interest in buying Manchester United, but any potential takeover could present the British billionaire with a problem.
Ratcliffe’s interest was confirmed by a spokesperson on Wednesday following reports that the Glazers were open to selling a minority stake in the club. The 69-year-old has previously downplayed talk of a takeover at Old Trafford, but now looks to have changed his view.
“If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer,” a spokesperson told The Times. “If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.
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"This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent. Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset."
It remains to be seen whether the Glazers would be open to selling United, although Ratcliffe is one of few people who could genuinely finance a takeover. The Failsworth-born United fan would initially be interested in buying a minority stake in the club, with a view to eventually taking full control.
Any takeover of United though could present an issue for Ratcliffe. His Ineos company already own French side OGC Nice, and UEFA rules on dual-ownership could lead to problems in both clubs’ involvement in European competitions.
The ‘Integrity of the UEFA Club competitions: Independence of clubs’ rule was integrated in 2000, and states no two or more clubs participating in a UEFA club competition may be controlled by the same entity or managed by the same person. Ratcliffe’s roles at Nice and United could therefore pose problems were the two clubs to qualify for the same European competition (Champions League, Europa League or Conference League).
Ratcliffe though has already brushed off any suggestions of selling off Nice in order to take over a Premier League club. The issue was raised with the billionaire when he was interviewed by the BBC on his interest in Chelsea earlier this year.
“No, we are very committed to Nice," he replied when asked about having to sell the French outfit. "I mean we need to figure out how we manage that situation but we need to close this chapter before we go down that road."
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