Topics: Football, Manchester United, Sheikh Jassim, Premier League
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear what he'd do with the naming rights at Old Trafford if he completes his takeover of Manchester United.
It feels like the takeover process at United has dragged on nearly as long as their attempts to sign Wesley Sneijder did for all those years.
Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim seem to be locked in a never ending battle to pry the club from the tight grip of the Glazer family, seemingly without making any progress.
Rio Ferdinand claimed earlier this week that something was going to be announced later that day, and then unsurprisingly nothing happened.
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It's not even the first time the former United star has claimed that he had information about it happening only for nothing to go through.
Likewise Qatari media has claimed on a few occasions that their man was about to make the breakthrough but it is yet to actually happen.
As it stands Ratcliffe is still well in the race, even if some fans are hoping that the Nice owner won't get the go ahead because they believe in the billions from the Middle East.
If it is the Englishman who wins the race he's already made a decision on what might happen with the naming rights of the club's famous ground.
Asked about, as quoted by the Mirror, the INEOS CEO said: "I hadn't thought of that, but no. That would be heresy. I would not change it. It's always Old Trafford."
Many teams have sold the naming rights to their stadium over recent years, including Barcelona last season announcing the Spotify Nou Camp.
Often teams take a sponsor on when they open a new stadium as with Arsenal's Emirates but Tottenham Hotspur failed to do so with their new ground.
There has been some talk that United's new owners could completely rebuild Old Trafford when they come in, and the stadium at least needs redeveloping.
Gary Neville has previously claimed the club could get as much as £800 million for naming rights and called on the Glazers to do it in order to drop ticket prices,
"I would sell the naming rights to Old Trafford if I was at Manchester United for £60, £70, £80 million-a-year," he said previously.
"On the understanding that all of the money generated – £800m over ten years – would mean that the whole of the Stretford End would be £10 or £12 to get in, and a proportion of those tickets would go to young people.
"It’s the first time I’ve made that suggestion, but I’ve thought it for many, many years.
"You would consult with the fans, you’ve sold sponsorships in every other area of the club.
"Old Trafford is an iconic stadium in name. I’ll never change calling it Old Trafford.
"But for the sake of it, let’s say you sponsor it for £80 million-a-year, and you call it 'Stan Collymore’s Old Trafford' or the 'Jamie Carragher Arena' it would subsidise ticket prices for ten years and it would be wonderful."
