British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe was spotted at Tottenham last week, but Manchester United remains his number one priority in his quest to own a top English football club.
When the Glazers announced they were looking for strategic investment for United which includes a full or partial sale of the club, the interest of some of the world’s richest people was piqued, including that of Ratcliffe.
The INEOS billionaire is a boyhood United fan and has made no secret of his desire to one day own the Red Devils.
Ratcliffe was a guest at the Tottenham Hotspur side as the North London club played out a 1-1 friendly with the French club, Nice.
The Lily Whites have done business with Ratcliffe before and recently announced that they had agreed to make INEOS the club’s primary vehicle partner.
Finance expert Dan Plumley spoke exclusively to Football Insider and suggested that while Ratcliffe may be an interested party in taking over Tottenham, United is still likely his priority target.
“He ticks the box in terms of his profile and wealth. We know he’s shown an interest in investing in football clubs in the past and the present.”
“He was touted for the Chelsea deal a few months ago, but the big one for him is Man United.”
“He’s a Man United fan so any involvement, it’s really interesting in that regard because if – and it’s a big if – he ends up buying Manchester United in an outright sale, where does that leave this deal with Spurs?”
Plumley added that Tottenham would represent a decent investment opportunity for the 70-year-old.
The finance guru remarked that if the opportunity to acquire United slips, any other top-six club would be within Ratcliffe’s reach.
Another top-six club that’s currently up for sale is Liverpool with FSG also looking to part with them.
