Call it a belated birthday present, perhaps. Sir Jim Ratcliffe turned 71 last month. For those who have amassed such riches, it is less a question of what others buy them and more what they buy for themselves. And in Ratcliffe’s case, at a cost of £1.3bn, the answer may be a quarter of the club he has supported since he was a child in Failsworth.
There are details to iron out and no deal will be finalised just yet but the Manchester United board will vote – though probably not on Thursday – whether to accept Ratcliffe’s offer.
