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The Manchester United takeover process saw the third stage of bids come to a close last week with the Glazers holding out for their £6 billion asking price.
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s consortiums have put in their respective bids and it still looks like a sale instead of minority investment will be the most likely outcome.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid is a touch shy of Sheikh Jassim’s but reportedly offers Joel and Avram Glazer a chance to stay on at the club as minority stakeholders without any voting powers.
Shiekh Jassim’s record breaking £5 billon bid is closer to the asking price but demands full control of United.
Ratcliffe, the founder of INOES group, is also the owners of French side Nice who sit mid-table in Ligue 1.
Former Premier League goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is currently playing for Ratcliffe’s side in France and spoke positively on the ownership during his time on Monday Night Football last night.
“One of the biggest reasons that I joined Nice was because of INEOS and because of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, their vision and how they want to evolve their sports,” Schmeichel said.
Schmeichel continued that from his experience at Nice, Ratcliffe is a present figure at the club and has a deep knowledge and passion for the game.
“He’s someone coming in who cares deeply about the club. From my own experience at Nice, he’s a man who is present, he comes to games, a guy that’s knowledgeable about football and who has a vast knowledge about performance in general,” he added
The Danish keeper then threw his support behind Sir Jim’s bid for United, saying he hopes he wins the race to take control at Old Trafford.
“I think with Manchester United particularly, Jim (Ratcliffe) is a big fan of the club and that speaks a lot to fans. So I think – and I’m biased hoping INEOS are the preferred bidders – let’s wait and see,” he said.
Erik ten Hag will be desperate for an end to the process as soon as possible, with his transfer kitty depending on who takes over the reins at Old Trafford.
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