Man Utd takeover: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plan to beat Qatar

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 22 Mar 2023 11:17 GMT
• 3 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking at a fresh way to pip the Qataris and secure a takeover of Manchester United.

The pair are battling along with six other groups for the club, but the INEOS founder is looking at a new strategy ahead of the deadline on Wednesday. It’s reported by the Daily Mail that he could team up with another party in an effort to match rival Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Ratcliffe and the Qatari banker are both believed to have made initial offers worth around £4.5 billion but the Glazers are holding out for their £6bn asking price. Ratcliffe was spotted at Old Trafford on Friday ahead of talks with club officials and the Raine Group, while Sheikh Jassim sent a delegation.

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The Mirror say that Sheikh Jassim will on Wednesday launch a huge £5.5b bid to the current owners in an attempt to clinch ownership of the Premier League giants. But Ratcliffe is looking to bring another firm alongside in a move to bolster his chances of obtaining the keys to Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe, who has said he will refuse to pay ‘stupid money to buy the club, has banks who are prepared to back up through loans. This would be to cover the existing debt owed by the club, which stands at just south of £515m.

Ratcliffe on the takeover

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ratcliffe said of his move to buy Man Utd off the American owners: "How do you decide the price of a painting? How do you decide the price of a house?

It's not related to how much it cost to build or how much it cost to paint. What you don't want to do is pay stupid prices for things because then you regret it subsequently."