Man United fans react as billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirms interest in buying the club
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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 alone 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.
- Ineos founder is a lifelong fan but would need to match the £5bn price tag
- Some fans have questioned whether the billionaire could move the club forward
Manchester United fans have welcomed Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s declaration that he has joined the race to buy the club, although some supporters have questioned whether the British billionaire could carry 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 after it fell through with a bid to buy Chelsea last May.
The lifelong United fan, who is Britain’s richest man with an estimated net worth of £13.3bn, would probably have to spend around £5bn to get the club out of the hands of the Owners Avram and Joel Glazer.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, owner of 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-maligned Glazer family, whose highly leveraged takeover of the club in 2005 remains highly controversial.
“Going from the Glazers, who are literally the worst owners in football history, to getting Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a billionaire boyhood United supporter, is poetic justice MUFC deserves,” one follower tweeted.
“Sir Jim Ratcliffe would be the ideal new Manchester United owner for me,” said another. ‘At least we would be owned by Englishmen and owned by a real supporter of the club. The best case scenario for us.
Manchester United fans have welcomed Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s interest in buying the club
“Sir Jim Ratcliffe or the Middle Eastern owners are the final piece in making Manchester United a football club again,” another tweeted.
Sir Jim currently owns two clubs, with the mogul buying French side Nice for £91m in 2019 two years after buying Swiss outfit FC Lausanne-Sport.
Some United fans have urged caution about the billionaire’s possible arrival despite being a supporter of the club, noting that Nice currently sit 10th in the Ligue 1 table.
Some Manchester United fans have called for caution about Sir Jim’s possible takeover of the club.
‘Just a reminder, INEOS owns Nice. Check out how they’re doing this season,’ one fan commented. Just because Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a Man Utd fan does not mean he will be the best Man Utd owner in the future.
‘We need owners who are ambitious and who revolutionize the club. INEOS is not.
Another fan called for caution with the process at an early stage. ‘Does he have a chance, that’s the question,’ they said, given the reported interest on the part of the United States, Asia and the Middle East.
The Glazer family revealed in November that it would consider selling the club after 17 years in power at Old Trafford.
Formal offers are expected to be submitted next month according to the schedule set by the Raine Group, which is overseeing the talks. The process could potentially conclude at the end of the season.
