By Dr Dan Plumley

28th Dec, 2022 | 6:00am

Finance guru issues Tottenham takeover claim as Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 'number one target' revealed

Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have been spotted at Tottenham last week but Man United remains his number one investment target.

That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest investment plans from Britain’s richest man.

As reported by the Daily Mail last Friday (23 December), Ratcliffe was a guest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week as the north London side drew 1-1 with Nice in an arranged friendly.

Tottenham have shared commercial links with Ratcliffe’s company INEOS since 2020 and revealed last week that they had agreed a deal to make them their official Vehicle Partner.

But Ratcliffe was also been linked with a takeover bid for his boyhood team Man United by the Daily Telegraph last month.

Plumley suggests that the 70-year-old would be interested in a Tottenham takeover but insists that Manchester United remains his priority.

“He ticks the box in terms of his profile and wealth,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider.

“We know he’s shown an interest in investing in football clubs in the past and in the present

“He was touted for the Chelsea deal a few months ago, but the big one for him is Man United. 

“He’s a Man United fan so any involvement, it’s really interesting in that regard because if – and it’s a big if – he ends up buying Manchester United in an outright sale, where does that leave this deal with Spurs?

“I think in terms of profile and wealth, he’s absolutely somebody that’s made very little secret of the fact that he’s looking to invest in a high-profile English football club and his number one target will always be Man United because he’s a fan.

“But if it’s not them, then one of the other big six is certainly within his reach.”

In other news, pundit tells Tottenham told to seal deal for two defenders after journalist’s ‘huge’ update