Manchester United could lose out on a significant sum of money if they are banned from the Champions League under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe is set to acquire a 25 per cent minority stake in the club, paying the Glazer family a reported sum of £1.3 billion.
The anticipated deal will bring to an end the long-running ownership saga surrounding United - at least for the time being - with both Ratcliffe and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim, the latter through his Nine Two Foundation, battling to take over the club.
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But while Ratcliffe wanted a majority stake initially, Sheikh Jassim wanted a full takeover.
The British billionaire has accepted a smaller part of United, and he will reportedly take over the footballing operations at Old Trafford alongside members of his INEOS team.
Ratcliffe already has experience in running a football club, as he and INEOS own Ligue 1 giants Nice.
The French side are currently second in their division, and are currently on track to qualify for the Champions League.
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If they secure qualification for the competition, and a Ratcliffe-backed United do likewise, there may be a major dilemma.
UEFA ban multiple clubs with the same ownership from competing in the same competition, and according to The Sun, whichever team finishes highest in their respective leagues would be admitted to the Champions League.
Alternatively, if they finish in the same positions, United would qualify through their higher ranking on UEFA's access list.
A UEFA source told The Sun: "Unless the regulations are charged, or INEOS sell one of their stakes, they cannot both play in European competitions, unless one is in the Champions League and the other in the Conference League."
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Now, the amount of money that United could lose out on in next season's competition, should they fail to qualify, has been revealed.
As a result of the new Champions League format, which will see teams play eight matches as part of one group, UEFA expect prize money for clubs to rise by as much as €35 million, as per The Times.
That is based upon a projected TV revenue increase of over €1 billion because of the extra matches being played, it is claimed.
In the 2021/22 season, Real Madrid earned €36 million as a result of their Champions League win and ranking highest in UEFA's co-efficient system.
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According to UEFA deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti, the new prize money system will take into account a co-efficient system over 10 years - meaning United's 2016 Europa League win under Jose Mourinho is included.
And United currently rank seventh in the co-efficient rankings, behind Chelsea, Liverpool, PSG, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
As a result, they could lose a significant sum of money if - and it does still appear to be a major if at this stage - they will be banned from the 2024/25 Champions League.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Manchester United, Champions League, UEFA, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Nice, Premier League