Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘gearing up to sell’ Nice as he ‘entertains’ Saudi Arabian interest
Man Utd owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is thinking about selling Ligue 1 side Nice amid interest from Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
The INEOS founder bought a 27.7 per cent stake in the Red Devils in February 2024 with the Glazer family handing him control of football operations as part of the deal.
His first season as co-owner of Man Utd has not gone how he’d have hoped with Ruben Amorim’s side currently 14th in the Premier League after Erik ten Hag was sacked in November.
However, Man Utd do still have hope of winning the Europa League after thrashing Athletic Bilbao 3-0 on Thursday night in the first leg of their semi-final.
Winning the Europa League would provide Man Utd entry into the Champions League next season, which they can no longer achieve through the league, in a huge boost to their finances ahead of the summer transfer window.
And Ratcliffe, who also owns Ligue 1 side Nice and Swiss Super League side FC Lausanne-Sport, is looking at other ways of boosting his own finances with French media outlet L’Informe (via the Daily Star) claiming that he is considering a sale of the French side.
It is claimed that the British billionaire is ‘gearing up to sell his stake in Nice as he shifts his attention’ towards Man Utd and ‘is now said to be entertaining interest from Saudi Arabia’.
The INEOS founder ‘appears set to pass the baton’ with the Saudi Private Investment Fund (PIF) – who own Premier League side Newcastle – getting ‘wind of Ratcliffe’s intentions and are pondering a bid’.
Man Utd co-owner Ratcliffe has owned Ligue 1 club Nice for six years but he admits that he struggles to “get excited” for going to see matches in France.
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Ratcliffe said: “I don’t particularly like going to see Nice because there are good players, but the level of football isn’t high enough for me to get excited.
“Nice’s best season was the one we weren’t allowed to get involved in due to timeshare rules. They were so much better without our interference! Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned from that.”
Despite a poor first season in charge of Man Utd, Ratcliffe backed Amorim earlier this year by insisting the Portuguese head coach is “doing a great job”.
Ratcliffe claimed: “You know, you’re a young guy, you’ve come into the Premier League for the first time in your life, you’ve come in mid-season, it’s not your natural language.
“You have to give the guy a bit of a break. I mean, give me a hard time, I have no problem with that. But give Ruben a break. I think he’s a good guy; he’s working hard, and I think he’s doing a great job.”
