Man Utd takeover: Ratcliffe bid given boost by SURPRISE source

Jacque Talbot

8 Jul 2023 15:45 BST
3 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s hopes of buying Manchester United have been boosted as Uefa have ruled that six clubs under joint ownership can compete in European football this coming season.

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The Ineos chief already owns Ligue 1 side Nice and is intent on buying the Premier League giants.

His current club often competes in Europe’s three major competitions, meaning a potential problem for the billionaire if he bought Man Utd.

But on Friday, Uefa confirmed that clubs who share the same ownership structure can compete in their competitions.

Some of the clubs include Aston Villa and Portuguese club Vitoria; Brighton and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium, Milan and Ligue 1 side Toulouse.

Ratcliffe is currently bidding for Man Utd, vying for a stake in the club, with Qtari businessman Sheikh Jassim also in the running.

There were concerns that Ratcliffe’s hopes of buying of Man Utd would be a conflict of interest but Uefa’s recent decision means that this won’t be an issue.

The takeover saga has gone on for eight months and it’s not clear when the end will be in sight.

Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man, had previously been tipped as favourite was his offer would allow current owners Joel and Avram Glazer to temporarily retain a 20 per cent stake.

Ten Hag's midfield ambition

It comes after our story that Erik ten Hag has pin-pointed Sofyan Amrabat as his main target for the midfield ahead of the new season and will action a move for the Fiorentina player once the deals for Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund are wrapped up.

Authoritative sources have informed us that Ten Hag wanted either Declan Rice or Frenkie de Jong for the upcoming window but the ongoing and protracted takeover saga, which has severely restricted the head coach’s transfer kitty, and Financial Fair Play regulations have meant he will look to Amrabat to bolster the double-pivot of his 4-2-3-1 formation next campaign.