Manchester United are consistently linked with takeover bids from ambitious billionaires amid their fans’ unhappiness with the Glazer regime, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe may know more than most about what it takes to run a sporting institution.
The billionaire is a keen observer of sport, from cycling and sailing to F1 and football, and has already invested a large sum of money into various teams and franchises.
The British businessman has a portfolio of investments through his multinational chemical conglomerate Ineos, which owns a significant stake in the Mercedes AMG Formula 1 team.
Ratcliffe’s company also holds a majority shareholding in French football club OGC Nice and Swiss Super League team Lausanne, as well as the British cycling team formerly known as Team Sky.
Ineos chief executive Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Mercedes AMG F1 team boss Toto Wolff joined forces in 2020
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Granted, none of those sporting outfits are of the same stature of Man United, with the Premier League club one of the most valuable in the world with an estimated valuation of $4.2bn (£3.1bn) as recent as April, according to Forbes
Ratcliffe’s links with the Red Devils resurfaced on Monday when reports suggested Nice had shown interest in signing Jesse Lingard on loan from Manchester United.
Ratcliffe is a lifelong United fan and no doubt possesses the wealth and clout to pull off a takeover if he desires, with a net worth of around £10.9billion.
However, the 69-year-old has already claimed that he’s not interested in dealing with United’s current owners, the Glazer family, which may rule out of a move anytime soon.
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The Glazer Family have faced calls to sell Manchester United
Speaking in November 2019, Ratcliffe claimed the club were a “big pickle as a business” and blasted the club’s recruitment choices at player and manager level.
“Not at the moment, no,” Ratcliffe said when asked if he was interested in buying United.
“They are in quite a big pickle as a business.
“[Ineos] never wants to be the dumb money in town, never, never… 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].
Sir Jim Ratcliffe joined Mercedes’ 2021 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas on the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix
“We need to find out how to be successful before you ever want to write a big cheque. It’s quite difficult.”
Ratcliffe, who was the richest man in the UK before opting to emigrate to Monaco in September 2020, ratified his most significant investment when he committed to a multi-million pound deal to sponsor F1 manufacturer Mercedes.
But Ineos have since upped their influence over the eight-time constructors winners by agreeing to buy an equal share of the team with Daimler in 2020.
Toto Wolff, the team principal and chief executive, also owns a 30 per cent share of the team.
Mercedes are part-owned by Ratcliffe’s company Ineos
Terms of the deal were not made public, but according to the Financial Times, a person involved in the process said Ineos invested at a valuation that compared favorably with McLaren F1.
The rival British team was valued at £560m in a stake sale that same month, showing that Ineos’ investment was no small matter.
Quite what Ratcliffe and Ineos’ presence does to influence the team is unknown, but the reigning Formula One champions will field an all-British lineup of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for the 2022 season.
