Bid to purchase Man Utd

SIR JIM RATCLIFFE, the richest man in Britain, on Tuesday, January 17, confirmed his intention to launch a bid to purchase Manchester United football club. After 17 years as the owners, the Glazer family is known to be looking for a buyer for the iconic Old Trafford club.

As chairman of the INEOS chemical group, Sir Jim is well placed to join the bidding. The famous Theatre of Dreams was put up for sale last November by its American owners. All bids must initially be registered with the American Raine Group bank, which is in charge of handling the sale.

The announcement sees the British businessman become the first official bidder to formally confirm an interest. A spokesperson for Ratcliffe told a UK newspaper: “We have formally put ourselves into the process.” He already owns Ligue 1 club Nice, in France.

This is not his first attempt to take over a Premier League outfit. Last year he was involved in negotiations to buy Chelsea FC, only to be outbid by American businessman Todd Boehly, who ended up paying in ex­