Jim Ratcliffe set to buy 25% stake in Man United, ESPN reports

Jim Ratcliffe is close to acquiring a significant stake in Manchester United which would see his INEOS team have “sporting influence” at Old Trafford, ESPN’s Mark Ogden and Rob Dawson report, citing sources familiar with the matter. A source has told ESPN that Ratcliffe was “more savvy in his deal execution” than rival bidder Sheikh Jassim, a Qatari billionaire who withdrew his interest in buying United on Saturday after failing to negotiate a full takeover of the club from their American owners, the Glazer family. As part of the deal, Ratcliffe is willing to pay an inflated price in exchange for control over certain decision-making, which would not usually be guaranteed by a minority investment, the authors note. Ratcliffe, according to a source, is willing to pay between $1.576B and $1.82B.