British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly ruled himself out from buying Manchester United or any Premier League club, according to reports.
Ratcliffe has been put back in the spotlight this week after The Athletic reported that Fenway Sports Group put Liverpool up for sale.
Many across social media immediately linked Ratcliffe to potentially purchasing Liverpool despite him being a lifelong Man United fan.
It has now been reported that Ratcliffe no longer has an interest in acquiring United.
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James Robson tweeted: "Jim Ratcliffe has dropped all interest in buying United. Won't bid for Liverpool either or any other Premier League club as things stand.
"He was seriously interested in the summer. Now doesn't see the value in a PL club and would rather focus on growing Nice."
Ratcliffe bought Nice in 2019
The richest man in Britain purchased Ligue 1 side Nice for a reported £88million and wants to put all his efforts in that project.
"Our position has developed since the summer and we are now focusing our efforts in Nice and raising our ambitions for the club to make them into a top tier club in France to compete with PSG," a spokesman for Ratcliffe told The Telegraph.
"This would represent much better value for our investment than buying one of the top-tier Premier League clubs."
Only a few months ago, Ratcliffe's interest in buying United was made public when a spokesperson told The Times: "If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer."
Why are United fans unhappy with the Glazers?
The Glazers purchased United in 2005 after spending £790m, most of which came from loans, to complete a takeover of the club.
United fans continue to stage protests against the owners of their club due to a lack of investment and are angry that a reported £1.1billion has been taken out of the club in the last 17 years.
In August, Bloomberg claimed that the Glazer family were considering selling a minority stake in United.
This came after fan protests continued into the new season against the Glazers.
Despite recording a loss of £115.5m, the Glazer family still received £33.6million in dividends this year.
Rival fans argue against United fans' protests by claiming the Glazers do invest in the team.
United splashed over £200million on players in the summer transfer window, including the signings of Antony, Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez.
Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, Liverpool
Brad Cox