INEOS confirm bid to buy Manchester United and declare aim of 'making them the No. 1 club in the world'
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Updated 18/02/2023 at 14:05 GMT
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS group have said they intend to make Manchester United 'the No. 1 club in the world again' after making a bid to become majority owners of the Premier League club. INEOS confirmed their approach on Saturday after Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani did so a day earlier. The Glazer family are looking to make a sale.
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The INEOS group headed by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe have vowed to make Manchester United the ‘No. 1 club in the world’ after submitting a bid to become majority owners of the Premier League giants.
United have been put up for sale by the Glazer family and both INEOS and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani have made moves to purchase the club.
Ratcliffe’s group said in a statement on Saturday that they “have submitted a bid for majority ownership of Manchester United Football Club".
"We would see our role as the long-term custodians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and the wider community," the statement said.
"We are ambitious and highly competitive and would want to invest in Manchester United to make them the No. 1 club in the world once again.
"We also recognise that football governance in this country is at a crossroads. We would want to help lead this next chapter, deepening the culture of English football by making the club a beacon for a modern, progressive, fan-centred approach to ownership.
"We want a Manchester United anchored in its proud history and roots in the northwest of England, putting the Manchester back into Manchester United and clearly focusing on winning the Champions League."
Ratcliffe, who also owns cycling team INEOS Grenadiers, Ligue 1 club Nice and Swiss side Lausanne, is a boyhood United fan.
But he faces competition from Sheikh Jassim, chairman of Qatar bank QIB, who confirmed his own bid ahead of the ‘soft deadline’ of 10pm GMT on Friday.
A statement for the Qatari consortium, led by the son of a former prime minister of Qatar, said: "Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani today confirmed his submission of a bid for 100 per cent of Manchester United Football Club.
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Old Trafford, home of Manchester United Football Club
Image credit: Getty Images
"The bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch, and — above all — will seek to place the fans at the heart of Manchester United Football Club once more.
"The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim's Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports.
"The vision of the bid is for Manchester United Football Club to be renowned for footballing excellence, and regarded as the greatest football club in the world.
“More details of the bid will be released, when appropriate, if and when the bid process develops."
The Glazers took over at Old Trafford in 2005 but are widely disliked by the club’s supporters, and they announced in November that they were looking to sell up..
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