Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have made clear their plans for Manchester United should they become the club's new majority owners after submitting a bid.
A statement released on Saturday confirmed that their interest has been formalised into an offer to become the majority owners of United and thus have a controlling stake in the club. In it, they also describe themselves as "ambitious and highly competitive".
This public announcement came a day after the chair of Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani confirmed that they had submitted a bid to purchase the entirety of the club. American hedge fund Elliott have also reportedly entered the race, but are apparently not proposing a full takeover of the club.
READ MORE: INEOS and Ratcliffe confirm takeover bid
The 142-word statement makes three main vows. Here, the Manchester Evening News examines each and explains what they could mean for the club.
"Make (United) the number one club in the world once again"
Officially, the last time that United were the number one club in the world was in 2008. That was the one, and only time, that the club have won the current iteration of the Club World Cup by beating Gamba Osaka in the semi-finals in an eight-goal thriller before edging Liga de Quito in the final thanks to a late Wayne Rooney goal.
Almost 15 years on, United are a long way from where they were back then under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson. There are many reasons for that, investment being one of them and also something that the statement addresses.
"We are ambitious and highly competitive and would want to invest in Manchester United to make them the number one club in the world once again," the third sentence states. The influx of investment would need to come both on and off the pitch to achieve their stated goal.
"Putting the Manchester back into Manchester United"
This remark is made in the context of acknowledging their role would be as "long-term custodians" of the club "on behalf of the fans and the wider community". They also recognise that "football governance in this country is at a crossroads" with an impending Government White Paper scheduled to finally be published before the end of this month.
A desire to "lead this next chapter" is expressed as well as a want to deepen "the culture of English football by making the club a beacon for a modern, progressive, fan-centred approach to ownership". For the club, that would see it anchored in its proud history and roots in the North-West of England".
This hints that investment in the club's facilities would be forthcoming, including the academy set-up. The latter would really aid their stated aim if more local youngsters were to break through into the first team under manager Erik ten Hag.
"Clearly focusing on winning the Champions League"
This ties in with regaining the club's status as the "number one club in the world". Winning the Champions League again would be the most obvious opportunity to stake that claim again after what will be over 15 years without being crowned European champions by the start of next season.
Qualification through finishing in the top four of the Premier League, or winning the Europa League, before the end of this season would be the first step on that journey, and the current side seem well-positioned to put that platform in place for any prospective owner. From there, advancing through the group stages and the first knockout round to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2019 would be the next milestone.
From there establishing a sustained period of reaching at least the semi-finals, as was the case in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, would be a tangible sign of progress on this front. By this stage, consistent Champions League qualification over several seasons would only bolster these ambitions of bringing the trophy back to Manchester for a fourth time.
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