By Kieran Maguire

23rd Oct, 2023 | 6:00am

Kieran Maguire: Ratcliffe could join Man United earlier than expected

There is a desire at Man United to have Sir Jim Ratcliffe join the club’s board before the end of 2023 and he could now join earlier than expected.

That is the opinion of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the remaining steps Ratcliffe must take before completing his takeover deal.

Following the withdrawal of Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim, Ratcliffe is now the frontrunner to complete a takeover deal for United.

The British billionaire restructured his initial bid this month to instead acquire an initial 25 percent of United’s shares before taking majority control in 2026.

The initial investment deal is worth £1.4billion, which values the entirety of the club at close to £6billion.

With Ratcliffe’s INEOS bid now the only option being considered by the Glazer family, the takeover process is expected to accelerate.

Maguire believes Ratcliffe could have the deal finalised before the start of the New Year as there should be no issues passing Premier League regulation.

“I think there is a desire at Man United to have Ratcliffe at the club in some way, shape or form by the start of the New Year,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“The board have to go away and consider the nature of the offer.

“They’ve got to take appropriate legal counsel and ensure that they are following their corporate responsibilities and all of the dull stuff.

“Once that’s done, then it’s a case of passing the Owners and Directors’ test.

“I don’t see that being an issue because if the wealthiest man in the UK cannot afford to buy a football club then then we’ve got a big problem.

“Then it comes down to making sure that we’ve got compliance with the New York Stock Exchange rules and making sure that the accountants, lawyers and investment bankers earn their bucks.“

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