Man Utd: Sir Jim Ratcliffe increases ownership stake with £79m ‘injection’ amid ‘January kitty’ claim
According to reports, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ‘injected’ another £79m into Manchester United and has increased his stake in the Premier League giants.
At the start of 2023, Ratcliffe purchased a 27.7% stake in Man Utd to become a new minority shareholder. As part of this deal, he took control of footballing matters at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe’s arrival was met with immense positivity, but the INEOS chief has become an increasingly unpopular figure at Old Trafford in recent months.
This comes as he’s hiked ticket prices, sanctioned mass redundancies, reduced Christmas benefits for staff and taken away Sir Alex Ferguson’s global ambassador role.
While Ratcliffe has moved to cut costs, a recent report from The Daily Mail claimed Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim – who made a failed attempt to buy Man Utd before the INEOS supremo completed a deal – is ‘still there’ and could offer the Brit an ‘exit route’.
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The report revealed:
‘Perhaps, however, this is not the end of the story. ‘Sheikh Jassim is still a rich guy,’ explained one advisor.
‘‘He is still a United fan. He is not going to rush off and try another Premier League club.
‘If the opportunity to buy the whole of Manchester United arose again at some point in the future it is hard to see there not being a big level of interest. The plans are still there.’
However, journalist Ben Jacobs – who reported consistently on the Man Utd takeover process – has revealed that Ratcliffe has ‘injected a further $100m’ (around £79m) into the club to strengthen his position.
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Jacobs has also commented on whether this deal could increase Ruben Amorim’s budget heading into the January transfer window.
He said: “Sir Jim Ratcliffe has injected a further $100m into Manchester United and now owns 28.94% of the club. This completes a planned $300m investment pledged at the time of purchase. $200m was paid back then out of Ratcliffe’s personal funds.
“Ratcliffe has always said he’ll put his money where is mouth it. Payment will strengthen the club’s finances and make funds available for investment in infrastructure. It’s not a January kitty.
“The recent focus on reducing costs and increasing revenues at #MUFC is aimed at getting finances in order so that the new capital is not swallowed up by operating losses.”
