Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a 25% stake in Manchester United will be announced today, according to Sky News City editor Mark Kleinman.
The British billionaire has been in talks with the Glazers to acquire part of the Red Devils for some weeks, and it appears both parties have finally reached an agreement.
Ratcliffe and his team will take control of the football side of the Old Trafford club and will be desperate to hit the ground running and ring the changes.
According to the independent journalist Miguel Delaney, final details are currently being sorted following a significant breakthrough on Friday, and Man United could have a co-owner in place by Christmas Day from the look of things.
While an official announcement from the club could indeed take place today, Ratcliffe will not be able to oversee the January transfer window given the time it would take for the Premier League to ratify his deal with the Glazers.
Whether there is enough time for the deal to be announced to the New York Stock Exchange before the close of the year also remains to be seen.
It will still need to be cleared by the Premier League if that happens, but it could take up to six weeks for changes to the Red Devils’ ownership model to be effected putting the Christmas and New Year period into consideration.
Man United suffered their 13th defeat across all competitions this term following a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United at the London Stadium yesterday, with their lack of squad depth and underwhelming overall quality brutally exposed.
The Red Devils could do with a major squad overhaul next month, but that will not be happening with the Glazers still around, with their football director John Murtough recently telling the fans not to expect a busy January transfer window.
However, Ratcliffe’s arrival will come as a huge boost ahead of the summer transfer window, but some major internal changes could take place before the end of the campaign, with manager Erik ten Hag at risk of losing his job if the results do not improve.
