Jim Ratcliffe is set to launch a takeover bid for Manchester United after ruling himself out of contention to be the new Liverpool owner.
Who could have seen Liverpool and Manchester United being up for sale at the same time?
Liverpool owners FSG decided earlier this month that they are open to selling up or receiving new investment.
United have now followed suit with the Glazers deciding that it’s time for them to move on after more than 17 years in charge.
Jim Ratcliffe to launch Manchester United bid
Maybe the Glazers were more than a little scared about losing potential buyers to Liverpool.
The timing is certainly interesting but after the failure of Cristiano Ronaldo’s return, it feels like Glazers are out of ideas.
United will absolutely receive interest from state funds but the man many fans want to take over is Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe hails from Failsworth just outside of Manchester and is worth around $13.3billion according to Forbes.
Ratcliffe is the majority owner of ‘chemical powerhouse’ Ineos Group, and has already moved into football having taken over Nice.
Some wondered whether Ratcliffe could buy Liverpool when they were put up for sale.
However, Ratcliffe and Ineos ruled themselves out of contention for Liverpool by suggesting that Ligue 1 football was better value than buying a top Premier League club.
However, The Telegraph now claim that Ratcliffe will make a bid for United, the club he supports.
Ratcliffe and Ineos appear to have changed their stance for United, making an exception for the club close to Ratcliffe’s heart.
Ratcliffe’s interest is described as ‘serious’ and he is ready to push after the Glazers announced their intention to sell up.
It seems the emotional pull of United has changed the stance of Ratcliffe and Ineos, just weeks after suggesting that Liverpool would be poor value.
Liverpool have to hope that another suitor emerges for them, with a number of American businessmen no doubt interested.
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