Jim Ratcliffe's potential Man Utd investment assessed | Football Digest
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has raised concerns that Sir Jim Ratcliffe must address quickly if he completes a deal to take a minority ownership in the club. Ratcliffe is poised to complete his £1.4billion deal with the Glazers that will see him acquire a minority stake in the Premier League club, but Ferdinand has warned the INEOS supremo not to expect a hugely warm welcome at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe’s bid is moving forward after Sheikh Jassim opted to withdraw from the running following a protracted 11-month bidding process, with the Glazers choosing US financial firm Raine to evaluate offers to take over the club. But the Qatari’s final bid – believed to be around £5billion – was not deemed to be lucrative enough to meet their demands.
Instead, Ratcliffe’s offer for 25 percent will allow the Glazers to retain their controlling stake in the club, although it appears Ratcliffe will be taking charge of footballing affairs while the American family step back into the background. He is said to be keen for a quick resolution now that he is the sole bidder.
Ferdinand is still yet to be convinced by Ratcliffe, however, as the 43-year-old used stint as OGC Nice owner as a prime example to raise his own doubts about Ratcliffe’s ability to run United.
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“He’s already had a foray into football with Nice and that doesn’t exactly jump out of the page at you when you look at what’s happened there. That doesn’t fill me with confidence,” Ferdinand told TNT Sports before the game.
Ferdinand has proven to be one of the more outspoken voices amongst the pool of former players at the club. Supporters have also taken his comments about the Glazers on board before, which may concern Ratcliffe as he prepares for his arrival at the club.
The former defender, who won six Premier League titles in his 12-year spell with the club, thinks the fans won’t be completely won over by the 70-year-old businessman, given the time it has taken to reach a decision and the fact the Glazers are still in power.
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“It’s [the takeover] still a grey area for me. I think the fanbase, especially, have been in the dark over the deal and the takeover in the long term and that needs to change,” he added.
“I think [the deal] is coming to a head now and coming to a conclusion which is good. But for me, Sir Jim Ratcliffe comes into this club, even at 25 percent, one of the big things he has to do is have that transparency with the fans so they can settle them down.
“This place is unsettled, they’re unhappy. They expected a full takeover and that hasn’t happened. There has to be some sort of fronting up being done, they have to sort it out.”
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