Man Utd takeover: Sir Jim Ratcliffe's £245m 'pledge' as fans await key £1.25bn development

The ongoing saga of Manchester United's takeover rumbles on.

And there are fresh reports Sir Jim Ratcliffe will 'commit to a further £245million of investment' in the club - IF he completes a partial 25 per cent takeover of the club.

Bidders have come and gone, and it seems only one remains, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe the leading bidder following Sheikh Jassim's decision to walk away from the process. 

Should the £1.25billion partial takeover be completed then Sky News report an 'additional £245m will then be put into the physical infrastructure of the club.'

The Evening Standard report: "The money is set to come from Ratcliffe's personal wealth in a clear break from the Glazers, whose investment has often come by loading debt onto United. It will also be paid in installments to be largely completed by the end of the year."

The expert view:

Football expert Fabrizio Romano believes a takeover should go smoothly within the next few weeks. Speaking late last month, he told CaughtOffside: "The only person to decide the sporting future of Manchester United is going to be Sir Jim Ratcliffe, as we know very well guys. In the next weeks everything will be completed, that is the expectation, so that Sir Jim can buy into Manchester United with a 25% minority stake – but with sporting control.

“That means he can decide on the manager, the board, the directors and all of the sporting activities. This is really important. The feeling at United is that there could be a big change in terms of the board and in terms of the operations at Manchester United. It means a new sporting director, so the whole transfer process could change at the club with people coming from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group.

“There are many candidates for different positions, including the director of football, and although we heard Paul Mitchell’s name mentioned, there are also others to consider. Manchester United will look at multiple options and a decision on any changes will be made internally once Sir Jim is at the club.”

What has Erik ten Hag said recently about the takeover?

Speaking last month, Erik ten Hag has maintained that he has nothing to do with the United sale process, saying: "I'm not involved in this. Others in the club are dealing with this. "I am focusing on my team, I'm focusing on the coming block (of games), and I am focusing on the most important priority, the next game - it's all about that."