Football: OGC Nice owner Jim Ratcliffe lodges Manchester United bid

INEOS founder and owner of Ligue 1 side OGC Nice Sir Jim Ratcliffe has officially submitted an offer to buy Premier League giants Manchester United, currently owned by the Glazers.

It had been strongly rumoured that the British billionaire and Monaco resident would lodge a bid for the Manchester club. That bid arrived on Friday ahead of the ‘soft deadline’ for offers and was later accompanied by an official press release.

“We would see our role as the long-term custodians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and the wider community,” began the statement. “We are ambitious and highly competitive and would want to invest in Manchester United to make them the Number One club in the world again.”

Ratcliffe, who is a Manchester United fan, also stated the objective of winning the Champions League with the club. The INEOS owner’s bid is thought to total £4 billion, however, there is competition to buy the iconic Old Trafford club.

The chairman of the Qatar Islamic Bank, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jaber Al Thani, is also positioning himself to buy Manchester United and submitted his own debt-free £4.5 billion offer for the club before Friday’s deadline.

Last year, Ratcliffe had his bid for Premier League rivals Chelsea rejected with American businessman Todd Boehly instead taking the reigns at the Stamford Bridge club. The Nice owner will be hoping to avoid being pipped in his bid to purchase a Premier League club again.

READ MORE:

Ineos enter bid to acquire Manchester United

 

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