Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be set to do some business with Manchester United, despite previously slamming their transfer business.
Ratcliffe, the owner of chemicals company Ineos, has previously spoken about his decision not to pursue a takeover of United due to the club making 'dumb money' moves.
With the Glazers' reputation at Old Trafford continuing to plummet as United sink further and further, Ratcliffe — who is worth an estimated $14.7bn — was seen as someone who could potentially take the club off their hands.
He distanced himself from a potential takeover though, citing a list of issues with the way United have been run over the years - but he could be eyeing up some business with the club this month.
Having brushed off talk of a United takeover, Ratcliffe instead purchased French outfit OGC Nice, and the Ligue 1 side have been linked with a move for Jesse Lingard.
According to reports, Nice could enter the race for the United winger, having previously shown an interest, and could be vying with Newcastle and West Ham for his services.
If they are to land Lingard, the French side may have to smooth things over with United, given Ratcliffe's previous comments.
Questions were asked as to why he had not moved to purchase United, the club he supports, but he explained that the 'dumb money' spent on transfers like Fred was a driving force in that decision.
Speaking to The Times, Ratcliffe said: "(Ineos) never wants to be the dumb money in town, never, never."
Asked whether he would be interested in a move for United down the line, Ratcliffe responded: "Not at the moment, no. They are in quite a big pickle as a business.
"They haven't got the manager selection right, haven't bought well. They have been the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred.
"We won't look elsewhere until we have had a good run here (at Nice). We need to find out how to be successful before you ever want to write a big cheque. It's quite difficult."
Fred arrived at United from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 for £52million on a five-year contract and has gone on to make 114 appearances across all competitions for the club.
Ratcliffe added that United have not been the same since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, adding: "United have spent an immense amount since Ferguson left and been poor, to put it mildly. Shockingly poor, to be honest.
"We have a different approach here to be moderately intelligent about it. Try to do it more grass roots, trying to locate young talent.
"Some clubs seem to have an ability to do that, Southampton, Lille. United have done it really poorly. They have lost the plot there somehow."
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