Sir Jim Ratcliff, one of Britain's most-wealthiest men, is preparing to buy Manchester United. The Red Devils have been hit by an ownership crisis with fans calling out current owner Glazers, to quit the club amidst the poor results of their team. A day ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared that he is buying Manchester United and later clarified it to be a joke. But this time, reports of Ratcliffe being interested in taking over the club seems to be genuine. Cristiano Ronaldo Cautioned by Merseyside Police for Knocking Down Phone From Fan’s Hand During Premier League Last Season

According to a report from Goal, Ratcliffe, who owns the chemical company INEOS is ready to take over the club should the Glazer family end up selling. Manchester United fans have for long, called for the Glazers to give up the ownership of the club after their activity in the transfer window. Things have certainly gotten worse after Manchester United were handed one of their worst-ever starts to the season, with two consecutive defeats, coming at the hands of Brighton and Brentford. There have been speculations that Ratcliffe is only keen on taking 'full control' of the club and not buying a stake in it after reports of the Glazers emerged that they are keen on the latter.

Manchester United are valued currently at £6 billion ($7.2bn) and Ratcliffe surely does have the financial capacity to take over the club. His interest in buying Manchester United was confirmed by a spokesperson, who was quoted by The Times, saying, "If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer. If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership."

"This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent. Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset," the spokesperson added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2022 09:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).