By Sean Fisher

4th Oct, 2023 | 12:27pm

Exclusive: Sir Jim Ratcliffe's three-year Man United takeover plan revealed

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s latest Man United takeover bid would see him take majority control in 2026, sources have told Football Insider.

The British billionaire has restructured his offer following news that the Glazer family want to retain a stake in the Manchester club.

The new offer would see Ratcliffe initially acquire a minority stake at Old Trafford before incrementally increasing his shares in the club to take majority control in 2026.

If accepted, the Glazer family would still retain control for the next three years, much to the frustration of United fans.

It is understood that Ratcliffe’s party would prefer to strike a majority takeover deal this year but talks have slowed down and they are now exploring alternative options.

Ratcliffe and INEOS are keen to jump ahead of Sheikh Jassim’s Qatar bid, who continue to pursue a takeover deal for 100 per cent of the club’s shares.

INEOS initially bid for the Glazers’ 69 per cent stake in the club with an offer that valued the Red Devils over £5billion.

However, The Athletic report that Joel and Avram Glazer are not as keen as their siblings to sell their stake in the club.

There are 110million Class B shares at Man United – Joel has 21.9million while Avram has 16.6m.

The other four Glazer siblings – who are said to prefer a full sale – own 71.7million Class B shares between them.

Ratcliffe’s incremental gain of control would likely come through the acquisition of those 71.7million Class B shares until he has the majority voting power at the club.

In other news, Man United board make up minds on sacking Ten Hag