INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been insistent on a potential pathway to majority ownership at Manchester United through equity, according to the Independent.
The British billionaire and Red Devils owners the Glazers are still discussing the legal points of what the ownership structure of the Old Trafford club would look like.
There is already an agreement between Ratcliffe and the Americans after the OGC Nice owner bought 25% of the club.
The main legal terms that must be settled are how the separation would work as Ratcliffe’s eventual football staff would not have to run major decisions past the Glazers.
As a result, both parties may have to reach a compromise to get the current agreement over the line.
Man United fans have been waiting for an official announcement confirming the partial takeover from Ratcliffe for days, but it remains to be seen when one will come as the owners and the billionaire continue to thrash out the details of the deal.
The Nice owner will be taking over the football operation of Man United once the deal is confirmed, but he wants everything to be well-defined in order to know everyone’s exact role after he arrives.
Securing a full takeover of the club in the future remains part of Ratcliffe’s plans, and more negotiations are expected to take place.
The Saudis were keen on buying the whole club from the Glazers, but the owners were unwilling to, and the INEOS owner quickly realised this back in May and immediately started negotiations over the acquisition of a minority stake.
Ratcliffe was willing to do a deal for owning a quarter of the club right now and will be hoping to seal majority ownership going forward.
