Man Utd takeover: Worth of Jim Ratcliffe bid revealed, Glazers criticised after Sheikh Jassim withdrawal

It has been almost 12 months since the Glazers first announced that they were open to discussions over the potential sale of Manchester United. There’s been interest from around the world in acquiring stakes in one of the world’s most recognised and decorated football clubs, but talks now seem to be lagging.

Since November 2022, big money has been discussed but it seems United are no closer to finalising any sort of takeover deal. The heavily-linked Sir Jim Ratcliffe could now well be the front-runner after Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani decided to withdraw from the bidding. His offer, valued beyond the £5 billion mark, was believed to be the only bid on the table for 100 per cent of United, but it was not sufficient for the Glazers.

Here is a roundup of the latest on talks surrounding the potential takeover of United.

Ratcliffe tables £1.3bn for minority stake

Ratcliffe, who is a lifelong fan of the Red Devils, is looking to acquire around 25 per cent of the club and he is willing to pay £1.3 billion for his stake, according to Sky Sports. The chairman of petrochemicals group INEOS is expected to run United’s football operations as part of a potential deal.

However, a source close to the process believes Ratcliffe is ‘overpaying’ for a minority stake with United and criticised the Glazers for turning down Sheikh Jassim’s offer, which was ‘almost double’ the market value of the football club.

The source told Sky Sports: “He was a cash buyer, he was going to clear all their debts, there would have been no new debt and he was going to put in another £1.4bn for the stadium and the team. All that still wasn’t enough for the Glazers.

“What we’re left with now, after almost a year, is someone who is going to overpay for 25 per cent of the club. They are arguably the greatest and most historic football club on the planet and after a year there’s just one bidder and he can only stump up enough for 25 per cent.

“It’s a joke. If they just wanted to sell a minority stake, they could have done it privately last November. The market dictates what United are worth, not the Glazers or Raine.”

United still need to vote on Ratcliffe proposal

While it seems Ratcliffe’s offer is the only advanced option on the table right now, The Independent has reported that ‘nothing has yet been agreed outside the broad principle.’ United still need to vote on whether to move forward with the proposal issued by INEOS this week.

Ratcliffe’s minority stake strategy has been brewing for months, as it seemed clear the Glazers were not willing to listen to offers for a full sale of the club. As a result, the British billionaire has overtaken Sheikh Jassim and Qatar in the running but there is expected to be more negotiations further down the line, if his minority offer is accepted. Ratcliffe sees this as his main ‘way in’ and once his feet are under the table he could start conversations over acquiring more of his beloved club.