British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is considering a minority stake in Manchester United in an attempt to break the club’s months-long takeover deadlock, according to a report.
Sky News reported that Ratcliffe, the chief executive of the chemical giant Ineos, is considering buying a 25% minority stake in Manchester United, as opposed to wresting control from the current owners, the Glazer family. The billionaire’s Ineos Sports vehicle has proposed a deal to acquire chunks of the Glazers’ shares and shares of operator Manchester United Ltd
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Shares of Manchester United fell 1% Tuesday.
Ineos declined to comment when contacted by MarketWatch.
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Last week Bloomberg reported that Ratcliffe is restructuring his Manchester United bid in an attempt to break the months-long deadlock in the takeover battle.
Sheikh Jassim — the chair of Qatar Islamic Bank and the son of a past prime minister of Qatar — and Ratcliffe have made rival bids for control of Manchester United. The Manchester Evening News reported that Ratcliffe’s and Sheik Jassim’s current rival bids are worth over $6.1 billion.
The American Glazer family took control of Manchester United in 2005. In November, they confirmed they were exploring potential financial investment in, or an outright sale of, the Premier League club.
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The Glazers have come under intense pressure to sell Manchester United amid ongoing fan frustration over what is seen as underperformance. The club, one of the biggest names in world football, last won the Premier League in 2013. In 2021, the Glazers faced major backlash from fans over the team’s planned involvement in the controversial European Super League.
A number of Manchester United fans took to social media Tuesday to express their dismay at the prospect of Ratcliffe taking a minority stake and the Glazers retaining control of Manchester United.
“No no no we want the glazers out,” tweeted one social-media user.
“Make no mistake about it. He’s the only solution to our problem,” tweeted @UTDWhf, with an image of Sheikh Jassim.
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Manchester United was defeated 1-0 by Crystal Palace in its last game, and currently sits 10th in the Premier League. The club’s next match is today against Turkish giant Galatasaray in the Champions League.
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