EXCLUSIVE: Potter in SHOCK Man Utd link thanks to Ratcliffe takeover

Steve Kay

• 19 May 2023 08:10 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United could make Ligue 1 outfit Nice a feeder club should INEOS and Jim Ratcliffe emerge successful from the ongoing takeover process of the Old Trafford side, sources have told FootballTransfers.

Ratcliffe, who already owns Nice, is sounding out the possibility of former Chelsea manager Graham Potter taking charge of the Allianz Riviera side, with the Englishman having previously proven highly adept at helping to identify and develop talent in his previous roles at Brighton and Swansea.

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And Potter, who was sacked by the Blues in the spring after barely six months in charge, could be used in this way as a weapon to help Man Utd back towards the summit of the Premier League after the significant improvements made under the watch of Erik ten Hag this season.

Nice could become a location for the Red Devils to park their brightest young talent, a natural starting point for a multi-club model, the type of which Manchester City have employed for years.

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Ratcliffe to start a multi-club model at Man Utd

Indeed, City already have a club in France, albeit Troyes are heading out of the top flight following a miserable campaign, while Chelsea are examining the possibility of buying a Ligue 1 side, with Strasbourg widely tipped to be that club.

Meanwhile, interim Nice head coach Didier Digard, a former Middlesbrough midfielder, has played down fears that Ratcliffe’s takeover at Man Utd could see the status of Nice diminished.

"No, very sincerely, I have no ill feeling towards Ratcliffe's United bid," he told the media on Thursday. "For me, Manchester United is something else. I don’t think we’re dependent on that at all.

"The boss has made such an investment in Nice that, sincerely, if he can give himself the gift of Manchester United, I would be happy for him because we know that it is something that is close to his heart. Above all else we know that he won’t disengage from OGC Nice.

“So, for us, that won’t change anything. I can guarantee to you that people are giving 100 per cent to make this club [Nice] grow.”

Ratcliffe finds himself in competition with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani to complete the takeover of Man Utd. Of the two, Ratcliffe’s bid may be the more attractive to the Glazers, who are the current owners, because he offers the flexibility for them to stay involved – an outcome many fans are opposed to.