Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a British billionaire, has disclosed that the Glazer family “doesn’t want to sell” Manchester United.
A spokeswoman for the billionaire said: “If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer.” Ratcliffe, a lifelong supporter of Manchester United, had expressed interest in buying the team in the summer after the Glazers announced they were looking for new investment and willing to sell a minority stake in the Red Devils.
Ratcliffe, however, has ruled out such a purchase, saying in a speech at an FT Live event: “If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.
“I’m a lifelong Manchester United fan, and I was there in ’99 for the most remarkable match in Barcelona so that’s deeply etched in my mind. But Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family who I have met, and they are the nicest people, I have to say, they’re proper gentlemen and really nice people and they don’t want to sell it.
“It’s owned by the six children of the father, and they don’t want to sell it.
“If it had’ve been for sale in the summer then yes, we probably would’ve had a go following on from the Chelsea thing. But we can’t sit around hoping that one day Manchester United become available.”
