Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave Man United a Christmas Day deadline to accept his £1.3bn offer to become minority owner – Man United News And Transfer News

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The partial sale of Manchester United was finally announced on December 24th after a tedious saga of public negotiations.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS consortium eventually gained control of 25% of the club, costing them £1.3billion.

However, the deal almost fell through with the Glazer family – in typical fashion – drawing out the process until the last possible moments.

As reported by The Daily Mail, Ratcliffe’s patience was wearing thin after months of back-and-forth and handed the American owners a strict deadline to accept his final proposal.

The week before Christmas, Ratcliffe’s company Trawlers Limited “gave Manchester United a deadline of December 25”, according to the paper.

Ratcliffe was adamant he wasn’t going to wait until the New Year for an final answer to his proposal and was willing to walk away from the deal.

The Glazers were torn on how much control of United they were willing to relinquish but with the coffers running low, knew they needed to a financial boost.

That transaction was subsequently agreed on December 24, bringing an end to a process that started midway through 2022.

INEOS will now take control of the sporting structure at Old Trafford and work closely with the Glazers in a bid to return United to former glories.

Ratcliffe was in the ground for the first time as an owner for the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and will have been left in no doubt of the size of the task ahead.

United are without a league title in over a decade and look way behind the chasing pack in the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag will now hope for a strong end to the season to ensure he is the man that leads United under the new regime, next season and beyond.

United are back in action with a trip to Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup next weekend.