Sir Jim Ratcliffe stung by alarming £4bn news as he nears first year anniversary as Man United co-owner

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe is just a few weeks away from rounding off a full year as the co-owner of Manchester United.

After a lengthy takeover saga up against Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim, the British billionaire completed a £1.35bn deal to buy a minority stake in Manchester United.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe released a statement on Christmas Eve confirming his investment, which handed him sporting control at Old Trafford.

READ MORE: Manchester United’s Takeover Timeline as it happened

United legend Gary Neville said the timing of the takeover was “truly awful” as the Red Devils ended what was a very miserable 2023.

A lot has changed over the last year since Sir Jim Ratcliffe took the reins with a new head coach, an entirely new leadership team and maybe soon… a new stadium.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s value has plummeted by £4bn since Man United takeover

As reported by The Standard, Ratcliffe’s net worth was said to be around £16.5bn when he completed his takeover at Old Trafford.

That figure makes him the richest man in Britain but is still relatively small compared to rival bidder Sheikh Jassim.

However, it was Ratcliffe who came out on top in the takeover saga and he has not gotten to work trying to restore United to their glory years.

Part of Ratcliffe’s plan has been to cut costs at United, including controversially cutting Sir Alex Ferguson’s contract.

He is clearly eager to make United more sustainable financially, and fresh reports of Ratcliffe’s updated net worth proves it has been an alarming year for his business ventures.

As reported by Bloomberg, Ratcliffe’s net worth has dropped a staggering $4.9bn (£4bn) over the last 12 months.

Incredibly, his net worth dropped from $18bn (£14bn) in June this year down to $14.6bn (£11.5bn) just in the last five months.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues to invest in Man United

Ratcliffe personally pledged around £245million of his personal fortune to invest in the club’s infrastructure.

Cristiano Ronaldo famously criticised United’s facilities after his exit in 2022 but one of Ratcliffe’s first moves was to invest £50m in renovations at Carrington which are expected to be complete at the end of the season.

READ MORE: Finance expert predicts third billionaire could buy Man United stake in trio with Ineos and Glazers

Of course, talks are still ongoing about potentially building a new 100,000 capacity stadium near Old Trafford or renovating the current ground.

The Glazers continued to neglect United’s facilities and stadium during their ownership, but Ratcliffe has been very active during his first year in charge.