Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly considering making a drastic change to his Manchester United takeover bid.
Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim quickly emerged as frontrunners in the race to acquire the 13-time Premier League winners when the Glazer family announced they would "explore strategic alternatives for the club".
That was in November 2022 and there has been minimal movement on the takeover front, much to the frustration of United supporters.
And according to Sky News and Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail, British billionaire Ratcliffe is contemplating altering his offer to a minority stake instead.
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With the process dragging on, it's said that one option the Nice owner is exploring is to buy 25 per cent of shares in United worth around £1.5 billion.
Many United fans have been vocal about wanting a "full sale" in order to remove the Glazers completely and so the update will likely not sit well with them.
However, the funds could prove beneficial in terms of improving the facilities at Old Trafford and Carrington and going towards recruitment.
A spokesperson for Ratcliffe, who also owns Nice and chemicals company INEOS, declined to comment to the newspaper.
It's believed Ratcliffe's potential proposal would see him receive an equal amount of A and B shares.
The A shares are publicly traded, with the B shares deemed to be more important.
Sheikh Jassim, Ratcliffe's main rival for United, is believed to have made multiple bids for United and wants to make a 100 per cent purchase.
£6 billion is the valuation from the Glazers, who paid £800 million for United 18 years ago.
Jassim, the third son of former Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, is still very much interested in buying United, according to reports.
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag
Josh Lawless