Sir Jim Ratcliffe is the only candidate to have publicly confirmed his intention to bid for Manchester United by Friday's deadline. And the founder of Ineos has already shown his willingness to spend.
Ratcliffe and Ineos formally declared that they would be entering the bidding process last month.
In a statement, an spokesperson for Ineos said: "We have formerly put ourselves into the process."
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Ratcliffe was born in Fallsworth, Greater Manchester, and is a boyhood United fan. The Sunday Times Rich List for 2022 ranked the 70-year-old as the 27th-richest person in the world, with a worth of over £6 billion.
But he is set to face plenty of competition if he wants to buy United. Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Qatari investors would place a bid for the club before Friday's soft deadline set by current owners, the Glazer family.
In addition, investors from North America and Saudi Arabia are also said to be keen.
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Ratcliffe and Ineos already own two football clubs - French Ligue 1 side Nice, and Swiss outfit Lausanne-Sport, who play in the second tier Swiss Challenge League.
And whilst neither side has achieved too much success under Ineos ownership - Lausanne have suffered two relegations from the Swiss Super League in five years - Ratcliffe has invested money, particularly when it comes to Nice.
Prospective Man Utd owner has spending power
As per a report from The Athletic, Nice have a net outlay of over €100 million in the past three-and-a-half years when it comes to the transfer market. Ratcliffe acquired in the club in July 2019.
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According to Transfermarkt, all 11 of Nice's record arrivals have joined the French club since Ineos took over.
The highest-profile of those signings came in January, when the club agreed a deal to sign striker Terem Moffi from Lorient.
The Nigerian international, rated as one of the top forwards in France, joined Nice on loan until the end of the season. However, they have an obligation to buy Moffi for €30 million in the summer - which would break their existing transfer record.
Whilst that figure may seem low in comparison to the spending by English clubs in recent years, it remains a high amount in French football.
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Only Marseille's €32 million acquisition of striker Vitinha was higher than the outlay on Moffi (as per Transfermarkt), in terms of January transfers, with several Ligue 1 clubs selling players for big money instead.
Nice, however, are yet to achieve tangible success under Ineos. They were in second place in Ligue 1 with 11 matches to play last season, but ultimately dropped to fifth - outside of the Champions League places.
They are yet to win a trophy, but did reach the final of the Coupe de France last term. This season, they are in seventh place in the league, but have won their last four matches.
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Ratcliffe has proven his willingness to spend at his current clubs - but will have to prove to United fans that he can bring success to Old Trafford if his bid for the club is successful.
Topics: Premier League, Manchester United, Nice, Ligue 1
