Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted Man Utd to sign five world-class players in dream debut transfer window

Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted Manchester United to sign five world class players over the summer.

Ratcliffe is on the verge of completing the purchase of a minority stake within United after rival bidder Sheikh Jassim withdrew from the race to buy the club.

Ratcliffe's offer is thought to be for a 25% stake worth £1.4 billion as part of a staged buyout from the Glazers.

The British businessman will also gain control of United's sporting decisions and their transfer strategy, as claimed by David Ornstein.

Supporters may have been left concerned by some of Ratcliffe's previous transfer decisions as owner of Ligue 1 side Nice.

However, the Red Devils' transfer window could have looked very different had he completed a takeover of United earlier in the year.

Ratcliffe previously identified five players he would be keen to bring to Old Trafford.

That's according to Football Transfers, who claimed in March that the 71-year-old was keen to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and central defender Axel Disasi, who subsequently joined Chelsea over the summer.

The publication adds that one of Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Frenkie de Jong were also being considered to help boost United's midfield.

However, Bellingham ended up joining Real Madrid, with Rice joining Premier League rivals Arsenal.

Ratcliffe was also reportedly eager to tie Marcus Rashford down to a new contract. Fortunately, the Englishman put pen to paper on a fresh deal in July, keeping him at Old Trafford until 2028.

But even without the financial backing of Ratcliffe, Erik ten Hag was still able to splash over £200 million over the summer on Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund.

While the likes of Sergio Reguilon, Sofyan Amrabat and Altay Bayindir all arrived on loan.

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Topics: Manchester United, Football, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag, Marcus Rashford, Victor Osimhen, Jude Bellingham, Frenkie De Jong, Declan Rice, Transfers

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno