‘Man United’s Sir Jim Ratcliffe ready to sell club and lose big money’
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is not a popular figure at Man United with the club’s lack of success continuing and a number of cost-cutting measures introduced.
Ratcliffe, who is a minority shareholder at Old Trafford but has control of footballing matters, owns 100% of French club OGC Nice but has put his shares in a blind trust.
According to The Athletic (2 May), New York investment bank Lazard has been brought in by INEOS in order to find a buyer for Nice.
Ratcliffe spoke in the media last month, insisting he is not a fan of French football due to the perceived lack of quality in Ligue 1.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – suggested the big new twist could allow the billionaire to “focus completely on Man United“.
Ratcliffe will be forced to sell Nice at a knockdown price, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness claimed Ratcliffe will find it difficult to sell Nice due to the lack of international media deal in France.
INEOS bought the Ligue 1 side for around £85million back in 2019.
Wyness claimed Ratcliffe may not even recoup that investment on the French side, who sit fourth in the top-flight table.
| Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
| 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | 32 | 78 | +52 |
| 2 | Marseille | 32 | 59 | +23 |
| 3 | Monaco | 32 | 58 | +24 |
| 4 | OGC Nice | 32 | 57 | +21 |
| 5 | Lille | 32 | 57 | +17 |
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Sir Jim Ratcliffe is so funny, he’s been complaining about the level at Nice and in Ligue 1 – and then they went and beat PSG 3-1.
“He’s a great judge of football, obviously.
“Would it help Man United if he sells Nice? I mean, it could help Ratcliffe focus on United.
“If he spends even 10 minutes a week worried about Nice, I’d be surprised, but it would give United those extra 10 minutes.
“He’s not made a great impression at Nice. It was supposed to be a learning experience, but it doesn’t seem like he’s learned too much.
“I think it will be difficult for him to sell. The issues in Ligue 1 with the media deal is a big problem.
“There’s no big broadcast revenue coming in, and that makes selling very hard.
“It’s going to be difficult for Ratcliffe to get value. It’s the wrong time to sell.
“Will he get his investment back? I doubt it, but he may decide to divest himself of it and focus completely on United.
“It seems that he’s getting out of every other sport he’s involved in.”
Man United to pull Antony U-turn?
Meanwhile, Football Insider has revealed (6 May) that Man United’s on-loan winger Antony will not be given another chance at the club.
The 25-year-old has been with La Liga side Real Betis since January and has regained form and confidence in Seville.
But United have decided to move on from the Brazil international despite his impressive form in Spain and will cash in on the winger this summer.
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