Ratcliffe leaves Old Trafford after Man Utd takeover talks
How Sir Jim Ratcliffe stores his wealth could be a ‘challenging issue’ as the INEOS chief looks to buy Manchester United, it has been claimed. The 70-year-old is currently viewed as the frontrunner to buy the club. Yet Qatari billionaire Sheikh Jassim hasn’t given up hope and could yet make a fifth bid.
Ratcliffe is hoping to buy United, having previously missed out on purchasing Chelsea to American Todd Boehly.
But football finance expert Kieran Maguire, speaking to Football Insider, thinks the way the 70-year-old stores his wealth may represent a problem.
“Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s wealth has never been a distractor as far as his ability to fund a takeover is concerned,” he said.
“How his wealth is stored is a much more challenging issue – he’s unlikely to have £5-6billion of cash in a bank account given present rates of interest.
“Liquidising his assets will be much more tricky for him, should he choose to go down that particular route.
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“If the acquisition is going to be done through INEOS, then I suspect that they will use a combination of existing cash resources while also going to the market to fund the purchase price.“
Ratcliffe appears to have an advantage over Sheikh Jassim right now.
The Brit is willing to let brothers Joel and Avram Glazer stay at Old Trafford in reduced roles.
Under his rule, they’d then be able to cash in their existing shares in the next two to four years.
But there has been talk of Sheikh Jassim potentially making a fifth bid to end the saga once and for all.
Man Utd takeover: Sheikh Jassim remains a candidate amid Sir Jim Ratcliffe scrap (Image: GETTY)
Speaking after United beat Fulham 2-1 on Sunday, sealing third in the Premier League table in the process, Erik ten Hag insisted he needed more backing for his side to improve.
“The club knows if you want to play top four and compete for trophies in this league, then you have to invest,” said the 53-year-old.
“Otherwise you don’t have a chance, because other clubs will.
“We’ve seen it in the winter - all the clubs around us made huge investments. We didn't, but still we made it, so I’m proud of my team.”
And Ten Hag also insisted the future was bright for his side.
"We are going, I feel, in the right direction but there is still a lot to come,” stated the Dutchman.
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Man Utd takeover: The Glazers are yet to decide amid Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim interest (Image: GETTY)
“We are not where we want to be, where this club belongs.
“But we are on a good pathway and we have to continue that, with higher standards.
“Good is not good enough, we have to do better. There is potential in this team and in individual players and we showed during the season that we made progress.
“That’s a compliment to the players but also the coaches – we work really hard.
“You have to make the investment, have a good strategy, work hard and you get rewarded for it."