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 pro ­ cess.” 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 excess of £4 billion for the Stamford Bridge club. It is believed that the Glazers will hold out for at least £5 billion.

“Manchester United plc, one of the most successful and historic sports clubs in the world, announced today that the Company’s Board of Directors is commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives for the club,” read a statement released last year confirming that the club was going on the market.

It continued: “The process is designed to enhance the club’s future growth, with the ultimate goal of positioning the club to capitalise on opportunities both on the pitch and commercially.

“As part of this process, the Board will consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the Company,” it added.

“This will include an assessment of several initiatives to strengthen the club, including stadium and infrastructure redevelopment, and expansion of the club’s commercial operations on a global scale, each in the context of enhancing the long ­ term success of the club’s men’s, women’s and academy teams, and bringing benefits to fans and other stakeholders,” the statement concluded.

Ratcliffe however is bound to face competition from other corners of the globe.

TalkSPORT: “I’m told he’s going to be OK which is great news.

“He’s had surgery and is recovering now and we’ll have to wait and see.” around the world. And the VO65 class takes part in the newly established The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup, which includes the stages Alicante to Capo Verde, Aarhus to The Hague, and The Hague to Genoa.

But now friends have told a news source as reported on Saturday, January 21, that the star is seriously rethinking whether he will return to the series which is currently under investigation by the Health and Safety Executive.

The hosting of The Ocean Race is a new event highlight for Aarhus to cement the city’s position as an event city of international level.

In connection with the many significant international sailing events, Aarhus has worked closely with Sport Event Denmark.

The BBC said that it is also investigating the accident although a spokesperson for the show said that the correct precautions had been taken.

A statement issued read: “Our primary concern is and has been for the welfare of Freddie ­ as well as the Top Gear team. All health and safety procedures were followed on site and the incident is now being fully investigated, in line with standard policy and practice.”

The show has been involved in accidents before with former presenter Richard Hammond ending up in a coma. Following that accident, more precautions were taken but accidents still do happen given the nature of the show. While December’s accident is not the first for Flintoff since he began working on the programme, it is by far and away the most serious.