Man Utd takeover latest: Sir Jim Ratcliffe offer & Thursday’s board meeting explained

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover of Manchester United is not expected to be confirmed this week, despite the club’s board meeting on Thursday.

The Red Devils hierarchy will almost certainly discuss the matter in the prearranged meeting, but as one insider told ManchesterWorld there will be ‘no white smoke’ from the conference call, while it's unlikely to be the momentous occasion fans had hoped for earlier this week. United also do not expect to announce any form of minority takeover from Ratcliffe on Thursday.

The British petrochemicals billionaire is expected to progress with his bid of £1.4bn to purchase 25 percent of the club, after Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani withdrew his bid over the weekend. Ratcliffe is now the only proposal remaining and there is still confidence that a deal will be struck, although negotiations remain ongoing between the two parties.

Meanwhile, reports in the Telegraph and The Athletic have claimed that a full agreement will not be in place between the Ineos delegation and the Glazers in time for Thursday’s meeting. Should Ratcliffe’s offer be accepted, the Ineos lead shareholder will be handed the reins to the football operations at Old Trafford, leaving the Glazers to run the non-football aspects of the club, including the commercial dealings.

Sir Dave Brailsford, Ineos’ director of sport, could play an important role in the restructuring at United. The 59-year-old former head of British Cycling, is the director of sport at Nice, where he conducted a systematic overhaul of the Ineos-owned club.

That will have to wait until Ratcliffe’s offer is approved, however, and while there may be some disappointment that an agreement looks unlikely to happen this week, fans can expect any arrangements to accelerate quickly. One source told ManchesterWorld that once a deal is confirmed things will move from ‘0 to 100mph’, while any major agreements must be announced quickly given information cannot be held back due to stock market regulations.

Meanwhile, United return to action this weekend following a two-week international break. Erik ten Hag’s side face Sheffield United on Saturday before Tuesday’s crucial Champions League encounter against Copenhagen.