Kieran Maguire: £917m Man United twist could ruin ‘romantic’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe takeover
Sir Jim Ratcliffe could see his Man United bid lose appeal if his takeover plans will add to the existing debt at Old Trafford.
That is the opinion of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the hurdles facing Ratcliffe in his Red Devils takeover bid.
Ratcliffe confirmed on Sunday (19 February) that he is bidding for 69 per cent of United after the Glazers revealed they were open to investment back in November.
The Glazers currently own a 69 per cent stake in the club, and Ratcliffe intends to buy their portion of the shares and take full control of the club.
However, Bloomberg report that Ratcliffe has lined up Goldman Sachs to bankroll his bid for United and provide “debt financing”.
Maguire adds that United already find themselves £917million in debt and any sign of increasing that figure would see Ratcliffe’s bid lose allure.
“There is still a lot of secrecy regarding just how many runners there are in respect to a Man United takeover,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“While there are two public bidders throwing their names in the hat, there could be others operating behind the scenes who want to go about their business in a more discreet manner.
“The Qatari bid would appear on the face of things to have some merit if the bidders could be seen to be independent of QSI, although it’s more complicated in a country that is effectively ruled by decree.
“The romantic bid from Sir Jim Ratcliffe might lose some of its allure if it is found to be accompanied with additional debt being taken on.
“It would increase the £917million figure that is already being paid in interest by the club since the Glazer’s takeover in 2005.“
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