The soft deadline for Manchester United takeover bids has passed, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe is among those confirmed to be in the mix.
Ratcliffe, the British billionaire, has issued a statement detailing his interest in the club. Current owners the Glazer family are expected to hold out for several billion as they prepare to potentially sell up after 18 years in charge.
The INEOS chief is not the only bidder, with a Qatari bid headed up by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani offering potential competition to boyhood Man Utd fan Ratcliffe. Here, MIrror Football examines the 70-year-old's main vows more closely as Man Utd prepare to potentially come under British ownership.
Number one in the world
There was a time at which Man Utd could stake a claim to being the best club in the world. That was some time ago, though, with the Red Devils approaching a decade without even winning the Premier League.
"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," Ratcliffe's statement reads. Step one would involve returning to the Champions League, followed by becoming competitive in the tournament: they haven't been further than the quarter-finals since losing the final to Barcelona in 2011.
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"Putting the Manchester back into Manchester United"
Ratcliffe has made no secret of his status as a supporter of Manchester United. The billionaire was born in Greater Manchester - something which foreign bidders for the club cannot match.
"We want a Manchester United anchored in its proud history and roots in the North-West of England, putting the Manchester back into Manchester United," he said. His interest follows some 18 years of Glazer ownership, and some supporters have asked questions of owners with few prior ties to the club or the region.
Win the Champions League again
Man Utd have won the Champions League twice since the top European competition was rebranded in 1992. Once against Bayern Munich at Camp Nou - where Ratcliffe claims to have been among the United supporters in Barcelona - and once against Chelsea in Moscow.
Both of those wins came under Sir Alex Ferguson, as did two defeats in the final. Since the Scot's 2013 retirement, only one manager has come close to a European trophy, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side reaching the final of the Europa League in 2021.
This season, Erik ten Hag is looking to change things both domestically and on the continent. United impressed in the first leg of their Europa League play-off clash with Barcelona, while an impressive league run since the World Cup has seen Ten Hag's side close in on a return to the Champions League via their league position.
