Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed the advice he gave Barcelona after trying to buy the club as the Manchester United takeover saga rumbles on.
Supporters are still no closer to discovering who will buy United. Ratcliffe's bid and an offer from Qatar remain on the table for the Glazer family, who could decide to remain in power at Old Trafford after all.
Ratcliffe has been trying to buy a major powerhouse in Europe for some time. He owns OGC Nice in France but bid for Chelsea last year when Roman Abramovich was forced to sell.
He's now in the running at Old Trafford and in an extract from his new book, as The Times reveals, he claims he tried to purchase a controlling stake in Barcelona too. He advised Joan Laporta not to cash in their chips on the TV money for short-term gain, known as the 'levers'.
Want to join our MUFC Pro club for a totally ad-free version of the MEN’s Man United app packed with premium features? Click here
“We told them, “Don’t do it, guys – we’ll put in two or three billion, renovate the Nou Camp and have 50 per cent ownership – and sign a deed to say we’d never sell. Our interest was in football alone, not making money. I think it would have worked well.
“We talked about it but, in the end, they didn’t think they could go to the fans with it. The road they are going down is a disaster. We tried to point that out and they said, ‘We know, but . . .’ They are all short-termers [Barcelona regimes] because the president comes in, does it for five years and hands the mess over to someone else.”
READ MORE: United takeover news - LIVE updates
