Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has given a clear indication on West Ham takeover links after his Man United decision.
One thing West Ham and Manchester United supporters have in common is that many of them have long yearned for their club to be sold to new owners.
After spending £170m in the summer only to find themselves in the the thick of a potentially disastrous relegation battle, many West Ham fans feel it will be impossible to compete consistently for the European spots with the likes of Man United without mega rich, ambitious new ownership.
There have been serious doubts over the long-term intentions of Daniel Kretinsky, who became West Ham’s second biggest stakeholder when he purchased 27 per cent of the club in November 2021.
Claim and counter claim over whether he will eventually launch a full takeover bid has clouded West Ham’s future.
So Hammers fans were understandably excited a couple of months ago when it was reported that a billionaire with a net worth double that of Kretinsky, David Sullivan and the sadly passed David Gold combined was being linked with a West Ham takeover.
According to The Daily Mirror, Sir Jim Ratcliffe was targeting West Ham after a Man United takeover was ruled out and he missed out on Chelsea to Todd Boehly’s US consortium.
After officially ruling out a bid for Manchester United, Ratcliffe is reported to have said: “We have a sports franchise. We own a third of Mercedes’ Formula 1 team. Robbed last year. The one thing we don’t have… football is the most popular sport in the world. We should have a Premier club.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s net worth is listed at between £9.35-10.5bn. Kretinsky’s is listed at £4.27bn, Sullivan’s at around £1bn and the Gold fortune at around £400m.
With the embarrassment clause on West Ham’s deal with London Stadium owners LLDC coming to an end in April, there is an expectation that takeover interest will soon be entertained.
Hopes around Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s reported interest in West Ham were hit last month when it was reported that the decision of the Glazer family to put Man United up for sale could see the Brit turn his attentions back to Old Trafford.
At the time that was just speculation given his previous interest in the Red Devils.
Now Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has given a clear indication on those West Ham takeover links after a Man United decision.
Because today his company Ineos has formally joined the process to buy Manchester United in a potentially crushing blow to any lingering West Ham hopes.
BBC Sport report that Ineos has put on record that they have “formally put ourselves into the process”.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s petrochemicals firm Ineos makes about £50bn in annual sales and employs more than 26,000 people across 29 countries.
And like my dreams they fade and die.
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