Sir Jim Ratcliffe has announced himself as a contender to buy Manchester United, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Ratcliffe, head of chemical company INEOS and Britain’s richest man with a reported worth of £9.8 billion, has registered an interest to buy the club from the Glazer family, who revealed in November they are looking at “strategic alternatives” including outside investment or a sale.
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Formal bids are not expected until February, but Ratcliffe is the first to announce his intention to explore the possibility of acquiring the Premier League side. A spokesman told ESPN on Tuesday: “I can confirm that we have formally put ourselves into the process.”
Ratcliffe is expected to face competition from the United States, the Middle East and Asia, although at this stage interested parties are only signing up to undertake due diligence before deciding on their next steps.
Ratcliffe, a boyhood United fan who made an offer to buy Chelsea last year, said in October that he had met Joel and Avram Glazer but that they did not want to sell.
