A vision of United’s future? Sir Jim Ratcliffe outlines how he would run the Red Devils

Manchester United’s potential new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe outlined how he would run a football club when he attempted to buy Chelsea earlier this year. 

On Wednesday, a spokesperson speaking on behalf of the billionaire Ineos owner, outlined that the English businessman views himself as a ‘potential buyer’ of the Red Devils.

It came after Sportsmail revealed the club’s current American owners, the Glazer family, were considering selling a minority stake in Man United and that they had held preliminary discussions about the possibility of bringing in a new investor.

And United fans have already been given an insight into how Ratcliffe would operate the club, from his comments when trying to purchase the Blues in May.

Ratcliffe said: ‘No, we’re not interested in making money out of Chelsea. Can we run that club really, really well and turn it into one of the finest clubs in Europe? That’s our ambition with Chelsea.

‘We make lots of money in chemicals, we don’t need to make money out of (Chelsea). We don’t think of it as a financial asset.’ 

Ratcliffe, who has an estimated net worth of £12bn, wants to purchase the club outright, having recently failed with a bid to buy Chelsea, while US private equity firm Apollo have entered exclusive talks to acquire a minority share in the club.  

Ratcliffe already has experience at the helm of a top football club, with Team Ineos completing their €100million (£85million) takeover of Ligue 1 club OGC Nice in 2019.

The French side have had steady progress under Ratcliffe’s ownership, with last season’s fifth place finish being their highest placement in the league since 2017.

The English businessman also proved he has an eye for talent having secured the services of manager Christophe Galtier, just a year before the Frenchman was snapped up by league champions PSG. 

The 69-year-old tried to purchase Chelsea earlier this year but saw his late bid turned down as current owner Todd Boehly and his consortium took ownership of the London club.   

Ratcliffe tabled a last-minute £4.25billion offer to purchase the Stamford Bridge side in May but now aims to become Manchester United owner after registering his interest.

The current ownership model at the club sees the majority of control lie with the Glazer family, with Avram and Joel Glazer the main representatives.

They purchased in the club in 2005, and despite coming in for swathes of criticism since their takeover, have recently felt the growing discontent increase after being publicly slammed by supporters, pundits, and former players with the club in disarray after years of poor management and recruitment. 

While they do not plan to walk away entirely, the Glazers are prepared to sell minority shares at Old Trafford and, as revealed by Sportsmail, have entered exclusive talks with US private equity firm Apollo.   

It is understood Apollo may bring in other investors as part of any deal, however the consortium is not likely to include bidders who missed out on the recent sale of Chelsea, such as Ratcliffe.