Already seeing the positive effects of giving up the cider.
Manchester United: Sir Jim Ratcliffe enters takeover race
exclusive
, Senior Sports Writer
Tuesday January 17 2023, 4.45pm GMT, The Times
Ineos has entered the bidding process to buy Manchester United. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, one of Britainâs richest men, has confirmed that he is officially in the running to buy the club from the Glazers.
Parties have to register their interest with the merchant bank running the sale for the Glazer family. Bids are expected from the United States, the Middle East and Asia but Ratcliffe is the first to publicly confirm his interest. âWe have formally put ourselves into the process,â a spokesman for the petrochemicals billionaire confirmed on Tuesday.
At this stage, parties have to sign up to see confidential financial documents and commit to undertaking due diligence before a possible takeover. Formal bids are expected to start next month, with the club potentially changing hands by the end of the season.
The Glazers would first have to be happy with the offer and, with speculation that they hope for more than ÂŁ5 billion, it remains to be seen how high the bidding will go. Chelsea was sold to Todd Boehly and the rest of his ownership group last year for half that amount.
It was in November that the Glazer family announced that it was âcommencing a process to explore strategic alternativesâ for United, potentially bringing an end to 18 years of controversial ownership. A number of options âincluding new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the companyâ were to be considered.
While understood to be considering offers for minority stakes, a full sale is thought to be most likely with the Glazers hoping that the clubâs resurgence under Erik ten Hag will help to drive up the price over the coming months. United are fourth in the Premier League table, only a point behind Manchester City in second, and looking strong for a place in the Champions League.
Ratcliffe made a bid for Chelsea last year but left it too late to register formal interest. He has been weighing up whether to bid for United, his boyhood club, and met Joel and Avram Glazer last year, though the club was not officially for sale at that point.
Since November, other parties had already made contact with Joe Ravitch, co-founder and partner of Raine, who is leading the process. The confirmation of Ratcliffeâs engagement with Raine may lead other groups to go public.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia have made clear their sporting ambitions, though state-backed interest is complicated by involvement at Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United respectively. Avram Glazer flew to the World Cup in Doha last year and is understood to have held a number of informal meetings with potential investors in the Emirate.
Ineos have made clear their own sporting intentions, with moves into cycling, rugby union, sailing, Formula One and football. A Ratcliffe bid would spark questions about the future of Nice, also owned by Ineos, though the group is believed to have considered different ownership models. Clubs under one owner would not be allowed to enter the same European competition.
A petrochemical billionaire. 
Man United say no to murderous regimes.
Iâm rewatching the game here. The roar from the crowd when garnacho runs onto the ball is spine tingling.
Things have moved on since Louis Edwards was running the show from behind the counter in his butchers shop.
I see weâve 1 billion and a 2 billion options for the stadium. Iâd be leaning towards the 2 billion option myself.
The 2 billion option is to move away from Old Trafford i think?
Correct.
Would they consider building a stadium in Manchester?
Surely London to make it a shorter journey for the match going fans.
I believe they are considering Birmingham near the new HS2 station close to the airport. Ideally suited centrally for their fanbase. Admittedly itâs an unconfirmed rumour but makes sense
We need to stay at the Theatre of Dreams. Non negotiable surely.
This is a gutcheck moment for the soul of what was once man united
Thereâs a brilliant ruggedness to OT.