Man Utd takeover: Sir Jim Ratcliffe reveals he's 'formally' entered running to buy club

• Man Utd remain up for sale
• Spokesperson confirms Ratcliffe bid
• Ratcliffe one of Britain's richest men

WHAT HAPPENED? As the rumours of a potential sale of United continues to rumble on, fans are desperate to see the Glazer family finally leave the club behind. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has long been linked with an interest in purchasing the club, and with the Glazers confirming in November last year that a sale was possible, the INEOS owner has joined the race.

WHAT THEY SAID: A spokesperson for Ratcliffe confirmed to The Times: "We have formally put ourselves into the process (of buying United)."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ratcliffe was born in Greater Manchester and has pedigree in owning sports teams. Listed 27th on the 2022 Sunday Times Rich List with a net worth of over £6 billion ($7.4bn), he is the founder and CEO of chemicals company INEOS, which sponsors the Mercedes AMG Formula One team and owns the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team. He also owns Ligue 1 side Nice and attempted to purchase Chelsea in 2022 after the club was put up for sale by Roman Abramovich.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED? While Ratcliffe is the first to publicly declare his interest in buying United, bids are expected from the United States, the Middle East and Asia. A mid-February deadline has been set for those keen to submit formal proposals to buy the club.