Man United: Jim Ratcliffe confirms bid to buy the club

Ratcliffe says he wants to make them 'the number one club in the world once again.'

British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has confirmed that his company INEOS have launched an official bid to buy Manchester United. United were put up for sale by the Glazer family in November and gave interested parties a 'soft deadline' of 10pm on Friday February 17 to submit offers. Ratcliffe is one of those and has now confirmed his intentions and ambitions with the club should he prove to be successful in his attempts. In a statement via INEOS, he said: "We can confirm that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have submitted a bid for majority ownership of Manchester United Football Club. "We would see our role as the long-term custodians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and the wider community.

"We are ambitious and highly competitive and would want to invest in Manchester United to make them the number one club in the world once again. We also recognise that football governance in this country is at a crossroads.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1626923276747345921 "We would want to help lead this next chapter, deepening the culture of English football by making the club a beacon for a modern, progressive, fan-centred approach to ownership. "We want a Manchester United anchored on its proud history and roots in the North-West of England, putting the Manchester back into Manchester United and clearly focusing on winning the Champions League." His bid comes a day after the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jaber Al Thani, also submitted a bid. Al Thani's offer is expected to be in the region of £4.5bn whereas Ratcliffe's falls slightly shorter at £4bn. Related links:

• Man United have been the Premier League’s best team since Cristiano Ronaldo left
• Man United: Five serious bidders are identified as deadline approaches
• Man United’s four player transfer shortlist if Qatar takeover goes ahead