When Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Man Utd takeover is expected to be completed

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover of Manchester United could be agreed during the upcoming international break, ManchesterWorld understands.

The Ineos CEO has been in intense negotiations with the Glazers for several weeks, following Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani’s decision to withdraw his offer to buy the club, leaving Ratcliffe as the sole bidder.

Ineos and the United hierarchy have been trashing out the finer points of a deal for Ratcliffe to purchase a 25 percent stake in the club since mid-October, with the 71-year-old planning to take control of the football operations at Old Trafford. Former head of recruitment at Tottenham Hotspur, Paul Mitchell, is seen as the frontrunner to take over as director of football.

But that will have to wait until a full agreement is reached between the Glazers and Ratcliffe, and ManchesterWorld understands that could take place as early as the end of next week. It had been reported that a deal may be in place by Monday, but that is not being considered out of respect for the funeral of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Once an agreement is in place, there will be a gap until the deal is finally completed because of public company regulations and the Premier League’s regularity procedures. The latter could be a lengthy process, and Everton’s takeover by American investment fund 777 Partners was agreed in mid-September, but is yet to be fully ratified.

There is hope, however, that Ratcliffe’s partial takeover will not be as drawn out, and he has already allocated funds of around £245m to be invested into Old Trafford. The Failsworth-born billionaire is not pushing for manager Erik ten Hag to be replaced, despite the team’s poor recent form. Ratcliffe appreciates Ten Hag’s hard-line stance with the squad and desire to freshen the current playing personnel.

United face Luton Town on Saturday in their last Premier League match before November’s international break. The Red Devils, who lost 4-3 away to Copenhagen on Wednesday in the Champions League, head into the Luton clash in eighth place in the Premier League, but could move as high as sixth with three points this weekend.