Sir Jim Ratcliffe has played down a future Man Utd takeover issue in relation to dual ownership, something that was asked when he was in for Chelsea.
As quoted by The Times, a spokesman for the Ineos owner confirmed that Ratcliffe would be open to beginning talks with the United owners. The spokesman said: "If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer. If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership. "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." Will it be second time lucky for the British Billionaire who has a net worth of around £6.3billion?
His inability to enter proceedings early with the Chelsea takeover played against his 'British' bid which bypassed the Raine Group process and therefore wasn't really considered by the higher-ups in West London who used the New York Investment bank to conduct proceedings. There were always questions surrounding his support for Man United and why the Ineos owner didn't go for the Red Devils earlier this year but he didn't get the indications back then that they were for sale. Fast forward all these months and that perception has now changed.
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This is because, as per the Independent, the Glazers are at least looking to sell a minority stake in the club with the view of being bought out in the long-term future. Although the conditions are different to what was on offer in SW6 after the Roman Abramovich sanctioning, it is understood that Ratcliffe is very keen to throw his hat in the ring early doors alongside different consortiums and bidders like Elon Musk.
As well as trying to convince the Glazer Family about his credibility for owning this minority stake with a view to long-term outright purchase and why they should go for him over other American consortiums like the rumoured New York Investment company, there may be an issue surrounding dual ownership which could cause Joel Glazer and Co to swerve his offer for the benefit of the club.
Rules state that you cannot own two clubs competing in the same European competition. With his current ownership of Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice, this could prove problematic if both United and Nice qualified for the same European competition one year.
'No, we are very committed to Nice," he initially batted away questions about having to sell the French outfit if he were to become a new owner of a club in English Football, via BBC Sport. "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."
Chelsea FC fans- Are you happy with Todd Boehly or would you have preferred Sir Jim Ratcliffe? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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