Lewis Hamilton open to joining Sir Jim Ratcliffe bid for Manchester United

Lewis Hamilton could be part of a bid to buy Manchester United from the Glazers, despite the fact that he supports rivals Arsenal.

United fans are patiently awaiting any updates on who might buy the club, following the news at the end of last year that their American owners were looking for investment, and potentially a complete sale.

They have not been popular owners throughout their near 20 year spell at Old Trafford, with a number of protests against them down the years.

Their potential departure may be part of the reason that there won't be much movement in the transfer window this month, outside of a loan move for Wout Weghorst.

Last month, David Ornstein reported that there could soon be a 'seismic' update on the sale of the club happening sometime in the new year.

There aren't many who could afford the price that the Glazers are reportedly asking for, and could be the reason they've been in the Middle East recently.

Another person linked with a potential purchase is Britain's richest man, and childhood United fan, Jim Ratcliffe, who currently owns Nice.

The INEOS CEO could launch a takeover bid and should that happen then Hamilton, according to the Mirror, could be open to joining the 70-year-old in investing.

INEOS sponsor the Mercedes team that Hamilton drives for and Ratcliffe is also an equal ownership partner of the team.

Hamilton and Ratcliffe speaking at a Grand Prix weekend. Image: Alamy

It would not the first time that the seven time Formula One drivers' world champion has been involved with a potential takeover for a Premier League club.

The 38-year-old, along with Serena Williams, was part of one of the bids to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich last summer.

That was an unsuccessful attempt, with Todd Boehly eventually buying the club, with Blues season ticket holder Ratcliffe also being linked with them previously.

Hamilton was recently named amongst the top 10 best paid athletes, following Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Nassr.

He is also the second wealthiest F1 driver of all time, behind only Michael Schumacher, although his wealth certainly pales in comparison to Ratcliffe's.

Hamilton had his poorest year in F1 last year. Image: Alamy

The Mercedes driver would certainly be hoping for better success on the pitch than he managed on the track with his team last year.

It was the first time in his career that he didn't manage to win a single race in the year, with teammate George Russell managing to win the team's only race.

His form did improve as the season went on and he will be hoping to find himself back on the top step of the podium when the 2023 season starts in March.

Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Premier League, Formula 1

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

@Sidler28