Man United fans claim Sir Jim Ratcliffe would be the ‘ideal owner’ and will ‘put us out of our misery’ if his bid to buy the club from the Glazer family is successful… but others warn he is NOT the answer just because he supports them
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe has confirmed his interest in buying Manchester United
- Supporters have welcomed the prospect of the Briton replacing the Glazers
- The Ineos founder is lifelong fan but would need to match the £5billion price tag
- Some fans have questioned whether the billionaire could take the club forward
Manchester United fans have largely welcomed Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s declaration that he has entered the running to buy the club – although some supporters have questioned whether the British billionaire could take the Old Trafford outfit forward.
Sir Jim, the 70-year-old founder and boss of chemical giant Ineos, has confirmed he is looking to buy United outright having failed with a bid to buy Chelsea last May.
The lifelong United fan, who is Britain’s richest man with an estimated net worth of £13.3billion, would likely have to cough up around £5billion to take the club out of the hands of owners Avram and Joel Glazer.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who owns Nice, has confirmed his interest in buying Manchester United
The Glazers have confirmed they are ready to sell Manchester United after 17 years at the club
Most fans reacted positively to Sir Jim’s confirmed interest in buying United from the much-reviled Glazer family, whose highly-leveraged takeover of the club in 2005 remains hugely controversial.
‘Going from the Glazers who literally are the worst owners in football history to getting Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a billionaire boyhood United supporter, is the poetic justice MUFC deserves,’ one supporter tweeted.
‘Sir Jim Ratcliffe would be the ideal new owner of Manchester United for me,’ another said. ‘At least we’d be English owned and owned by an actual supporter of the club. Best case scenario for us.’
Manchester United fans have welcomed Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s interest in buying the club
‘Sir Jim Ratcliffe or Middle Eastern owners are the final piece to make Manchester United a Football Club Again,’ tweeted another.
Sir Jim currently owns two clubs, with the tycoon having bought French side Nice for £91m in 2019 two years after purchasing Swiss team FC Lausanne-Sport.
Some United fans have urged caution over the billionaire’s potential arrival despite being a supporter of the club, pointing to Nice currently lying 10th in the Ligue 1 table.
Some Manchester United fans have urged caution over Sir Jim’s potential takeover of the club
‘Just a reminder, INEOS owns Nice. Look at how they’re doing this season,’ one fan commented. Just because Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a Man Utd fan, that doesn’t mean he’s the best owner for Man Utd going forward.
‘We need owners who are ambitious and would revolutionise the club. INEOS ain’t it.’
Another fan urged caution with the process at an early stage. ‘Does he stand a chance, is the question,’ they said, given reported interest from the United States, Asia and the Middle East.
The Glazer family in November revealed they would consider selling the club following 17 years in power at Old Trafford.
Formal bids are expected to be submitted next month under the timeline outlined by the Raine Group, who are overseeing the talks. The process could potentially conclude by the end of the season.
