Speaking at an event in London on Tuesday evening, Sir Jim Ratcliffe reaffirmed his interest in buying Manchester United but also admitted it is unlikely the club will be in his possession anytime soon.
"Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family, whom I have met. They don't want to sell it,” he said. “It's owned by the six children of the father and they don't want to sell it.”
Ratcliffe went on to give a glowing review of the family, calling them “the nicest people”. It seems he is on good terms with United’s owners, which may be beneficial should the Glazers ever get to a point where they want to sell up.
READ MORE: Sir Jim Ratcliffe breaks silence on Manchester United takeover interest
The British billionaire - who owns Ligue 1 club Nice - went on to say he would have gone in for United should the club have been available in the summer but that he isn’t going to wait around in the hope that Glazers will change their tune.
After a failed bid for Chelsea earlier in the year, Ratcliffe made his interest in United - the club he supports - public via his spokesperson in August. It came amid reports that the Glazers had held discussions over potentially selling off a portion of their ownership.
Despite his bleak forecast of a forthcoming takeover, Ratcliffe’s latest comments show a level of transparency United fans have not received from the Glazers, which may make supporters rue Tuesday’s admission even more.
Supporters have had to second-guess the movements of their owners for the most part. They might still be guessing whether the Glazers still have an interest in the sport itself. Their willingness to persistently hand out dividends to shareholders while the club racks up masses of debts and Old Trafford needs a revamp infuriates fans.
When Ratcliffe publicly declared an interest in United, one of the first things he pledged was that, should he acquire the Reds, he would rejuvenate the Theatre of Dreams. It must be said that the Glazers have already sanctioned plans for this, which are still being finalised.
Ratcliffe can afford to be open given that he has nothing to lose but his clarity with United fans has been encouraging, offering more insight than the current owners ever have done. His passion for football is also obvious. “The most popular sport in the world is football and it is the sport we were brought up with and it's the one most close to us,” he said on Tuesday.
Ratcliffe is already well versed in running a historic European football club thanks to his 2019 purchase of Nice which would put him on a stronger footing than when the NFL-centric Glazers arrived in Manchester.
The Ineos owner’s comments were not quite what United fans wanted to hear, but he has at least shown that they now have a potential buyer who they can back should the door edge ajar.
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