Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s time as a co-owner of Manchester United could be short-lived.
It has been nearly a year and a half since Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his £1.2bn takeover at Manchester United.
The lengthy takeover saga, which started with the Glazers opening themselves up to offers, saw Sir Jim Ratcliffe go head-to-head with Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim for control of the Red Devils.
Eventually, it was Ratcliffe who came out on top after the Qatari bidders failed to show proof of funding, however, Gary Neville slammed the takeover as a “disgrace” due to the timing of the announcement.
United fans learned of Ratcliffe’s takeover on Christmas Eve 2023, and less than 18 months later, United are slumped 16th in the Premier League table with huge redundancies and cost-cutting measures.
Insider suggests another Man United takeover saga
Since the Ineos takeover, much has changed at Old Trafford. Ratcliffe has changed United’s hierarchy, hiring the likes of Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Sir Dave Brailsford to oversee the day-to-day running of the club.
There has also been the announcement of a £2bn 100,000-seater stadium, however, the funding of that project is still yet to be sourced.
Ratcliffe has increased his stake in United to 28.94 percent after buying an initial 25 percent, and there have been suggestions that he will continue to increase his stake until he is a majority shareholder.
However, The Athletic issued a report on the Glazer ownership of Manchester United and suggested that there could yet be more takeover drama.
Speaking to a “person familiar with the business” of the Glazers and Manchester United, they sliced up the Glazer ownership into different phases: post-takeover, post-Ferguson, post-Covid-19 and now entering the ‘post-Glazer era’.
However, it continues: “The question, they say, is whether the upheaval of the past year is the beginning of the post-Glazer era or if there is a post-Ratcliffe era to come – ‘Maybe there is another phase coming.'”
It suggests that the Glazers could look to move on from Ratcliffe, with the US family continuing to hold a majority stake in the club despite handing over sporting control to the British billionaire.
Glazers could force Sir Jim Ratcliffe to sell Man United
Ratcliffe’s takeover has allowed him to make all sporting decisions at Old Trafford over the last 18 months, but he is still only a minority shareholder.
As majority shareholders, the Glazers have “drag-along rights” which would allow them to sell their shares – and Ratcliffe’s to a new bidder if an offer was made.
It has previously been reported by The Athletic that the Glazers want Ratcliffe to buy their remaining shares, but that could prove difficult given the financially challenging year Ineos have had.
Ratcliffe’s net worth has suffered a £4bn blow and he has frequently spoken about the cash flow issues at Old Trafford, going as far as to suggest that United were going bust by the end of 2025.
If a new bidder arrives, the Glazers could turn quickly, and Ratcliffe would have to surrender his project as United owner.
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