Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains the ‘leading candidate’ to buy Manchester United after a meeting was held earlier in the week, according to reports. The INEOS chief has made three offers for the club so far. However, the saga is still open to twists and turns with Sheikh Jassim in the hunt as well.
According to Sky News, Ratcliffe remains the ‘leading candidate’ to buy United.
It’s claimed that, on Thursday, directors of the Red Devils’ holding company met to discuss the current takeover situation.
The report says the meeting was ‘inconclusive’ but while the directors did not opt to enter into exclusive negotiations’, Ratcliffe seems to be in pole position.
He wants to buy a majority stake in the club which would see brothers Joel and Avram Glazer stay involved.
This has angered many United supporters who want to see the back of all six Glazer siblings once and for all.
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Carlyle, Elliot Management and Sixth Street are just some firms who are willing to provide the family with money to use on the club.
And what ultimately happens is something only time will tell.
Ratcliffe hasn’t spoken about the takeover process in recent times but, last year, did insist Joel and Avram Glazer were the ‘nicest people’.
“Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family, whom I have met,” he said in October.
“I’ve met Joel and Avram and they are the nicest people, I have to say, they are proper gentlemen.
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“They don’t want to sell it. It’s owned by the six children of the father and they don’t want to sell it.
“If it had been for sale in the summer then, yes, we would have probably had a go following on from the Chelsea thing, but we can’t sit around hoping that one day Manchester United will become available.
“We have an exciting sporting franchise [Ligue 1 side Nice], but the one thing we don’t have is a Premier [League] team.
“The most popular sport in the world is football and it is the sport we were brought up with and it’s the one most close to us. We really should have an asset in the sporting franchise.”
In 2019, however, Ratcliffe hit out at the way United were being managed behind the scenes.
“They haven’t got the manager selection right, haven’t bought well,” the 70-year-old said at the time.
“They have been the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred.
“United have spent an immense amount since Ferguson left and been poor, to put it mildly.
“Shockingly poor, to be honest. We have a different approach here [at Nice] to be moderately intelligent about it. Try to do it more grassroots, trying to locate young talent.
“Some clubs seem to have an ability to do that, Southampton, Lille.
“United have done it really poorly. They have lost the plot.”
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