Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a back-up plan in place if his bid to take over Manchester United is successful with reports in France suggesting he will increase his investment at Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice instead.
Will this week be the week?
For the sake of our sanity, let’s hope so. Never again do we want to hear the terms ‘Class B shares’ or ‘preferred bidder’. This is a saga which – in typical Glazer fashion – has drained every ounce of our energy. More false dawns than Phil Connors during the entirety of Groundhog Day.
The Times, at least, say that there may be some light at the end of the tunnel.
A breakthrough in negotiations could occur this week, and talkSPORT say that Qatari confidence has been boosted substantially following last week’s dramatic take-it-or-leave it offer to take control of Manchester United.
Manchester United takeover talks continue
Much now will depend on what the Glazers – or specifically Joel and Avram – prefer. A clean break and a goodbye, or a staggered farewell and a couple of years as minority shareholders.
The thing about leeches is, they don’t tend to turn down the chance to sink their teeth into a juicy vein. As such, Ratcliffe’s bid to take over around 60 per cent of the club – and keep the Glazers on in some capacity – was rumoured to be the most preferable offer until Sheikh Jassim’s camp improved their offer in the build up to Friday’s self-imposed deadline (BBC).
French publication L’Equipe, meanwhile, believe the fate of Ratcliffe’s bid will have quite the impact on Nice’s summer plans. Ratcliffe’s Ineos group have owned the Ligue 1 outfit since 2019.
L’Equipe say that, if the British billionaire gets his mitts on Manchester United, Nice will see their summer budget restricted. If Ratcliffe fails, however, Nice could instead spend heavily on a number of high-profile signings as they look to improve upon a disappointing 2022/23 campaign.
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