Sir Jim Ratcliffe has confirmed he's still in the race to buy Manchester United, despite speculation in Qatar suggesting otherwise.
INEOS chief Ratcliffe is locked in a takeover battle with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani after the Glazers put the club up for sale in November. Both parties have submitted final bids, with a preferred bidder expected to be named shortly.
It was claimed Sheikh Jassim, who is the favourite to win the takeover race, was just 'hours away' from being named as the preferred bidder. Yet Ratcliffe has rubbished this rumour by insisting his bid is exactly what this "special" club needs.
United were English football's dominant club when the Glazers, who are deeply unpopular with supporters, purchased them in 2005. They haven't won a Premier League title for a decade, while their most recent Champions League triumph was in 2008.
United fans are desperate for manager Erik ten Hag to lead them to glory and Ratcliffe believes he's the right owner to oversee that resurgence. The billionaire provided an update on the takeover saga to The Sun.
Ratcliffe revealed he's met with the Glazers "a couple of times". Yet United's potential new owners said: "I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I can’t say too much. But there is still a process - and we are in the process."
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He added: "We have a good offer and we have met with the Glazers a couple of times. We have had good discussions with them. We would still very much like to do it. And we would be doing it for the right reasons. But in the end it is their decision not our decision."
Sheikh Jassim wants to purchase 100 per cent of United and clear off their outstanding debt, thought to be worth more than £500million. It's believed Ratcliffe would prefer to buy a controlling stake in the club and could keep the Glazers on board.
That could be a problem, as United fans are desperate for the Glazers to sell up. Co-owners Joel and Avram Glazer are the most attached to the club and would like to stay on board, while siblings Bryan, Darcie, Edward and Joel are happy to sell up.
Ratcliffe went on to claim United are "very special and rare - like art". Some fans are concerned Ratcliffe will change the name of Old Trafford to include the INEOS branding, but he's promised not to do that - claiming it would be "heresy".
Ratcliffe also explained why he and his INEOS partners want to buy United. He said: "It is one of our key interests - get the lads in the pub and football is one of the two or three subjects we ever talk about.
"It’s football. We’ve worked really hard all our lives. Now we’ve made a bit of money so you’re allowed to have some fun, so long as it’s sensible economically."
