Manchester United takeover: Jim Ratcliffe 'enquired about replacing the Glazers'

The Britain's richest man and a childhood fan of Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is worth more than £21billion has reportedly enquired about taking over the club.

Ratcliffe is a chemical engineer turned petrochemicals tycoon who currently resides in Monaco, and is the CEO of London-based chemicals company Ineos.

According to Utdreport, the British allegedly approached the Glazers family and expressed his interest in buying the club, but was put off by the asking price offered by the American family who are currently in charge at Old Trafford.

In November 2017, Sir Ratcliffe, a Chelsea season-ticket-holder despite being aUnited supporter from his childhood, bought FC Lausanne-Sport of Switzerland, and is really interested in dipping his toes in the football market.

The Glazers, having purchased Manchester United for £790m in 2005, have not always been popular with followers of the club, who recently started a new #GlazersOut campaign on social media.

As part of the #GlazersOut movement, the Red Devils supporters also wore green and gold scarves to matches in the past, which represented the colours of Newton Heath, the club United formed from in 1902.

Apparently, the fans are perplexed with the Glazers running the affairs of the club with debt, and with recent lackluster performances on the pitch not to mention the mounting financial issues, the owners are now more unpopular than ever.

Since the Glazers acquired Manchester United, the club have increased in value hugely, and most recently, they were linked with a takeover from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a staggering £3.8bn, although this never came to fruition.

The Saudi royal family are reportedly worth about £850bn, so they could make a return with an improved offer.

Meanwhile, with the Old Traffold’s failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League, their value may now not be quite as high as the Glazers would like, and it remains a doubt whether they decide the time has come to cash in on the club they purchased 14 years ago.