Sir Jim Ratcliffe "Formally" Interested In Buying Man United After Failing With Chelsea Takeover Bid

Ineos, the firm owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has "formally" confirmed its interest in buying Manchester United. Ratcliffe tried to buy Chelsea in 2022.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe "Formally" Interested In Buying Man United After Failing With Chelsea Takeover Bid
Sir Jim Ratcliffe "Formally" Interested In Buying Man United After Failing With Chelsea Takeover Bid /

Ineos, the firm owned by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has confirmed its interest in buying Manchester United.

Ratcliffe first emerged as a possible candidate to buy the club in August when one of his spokespeople told The Times: "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."

Three months later, the Glazer family issued a statement to declare that they were "commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives for the club."

A general view from inside Old Trafford before Manchester United's game against Norwich City in April 2022
Manchester United could be set for a change of ownership in 2023 :: IMAGO/Pro Sports Images/Phil Duncan
Sir Jim Ratcliffe pictured at a Ligue 1 game between Nice and PSG in 2019
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, pictured at a game between Nice and PSG in 2019, is a candidate to buy United via his company, Ineos :: IMAGO/PanoramiC/Norbert Scanella

The Glazers have owned United since acquiring the club for $1.34 billion in 2005.

It is understood that they expect to make a significant profit when they sell.

Ratcliffe is currently worth $15.6b, according to Forbes.

This week, a statement from Ineos said that Ratcliffe's company had "formally put ourselves into the process" to buy United.

Ratcliffe is a boyhood United fan, having been born in Failsworth in Greater Manchester.

But he tried to buy Chelsea last year. That takeover bid failed as a consortium led by Todd Boehly eventually bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.


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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.