Summary Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to invest £245 million in improving Manchester United's infrastructure, including Old Trafford, once he completes his 25% takeover. The investment will surely come as a relief to fans who have been frustrated with the lack of improvement under the Glazer family's ownership. While Ratcliffe's imminent investment is a positive step, many hope he will eventually become United's majority owner and bring about genuine changes that benefit the team.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to invest huge funds into Manchester United to address one key issue, according to a positive new update regarding his imminent 25% takeover.
Man Utd takeover news
It has been a disastrous start to the season for Erik ten Hag's side, who had lost five of their opening 10 Premier League matches in the lead-up to Saturday's trip to Fulham.
Performances and results on the pitch have been nowhere near good enough, leading to huge pressure on the manager already in 2023/24, but there are also plenty of issues going on away from the playing field that are holding them back greatly.
A lot of that is surrounding the continued unpopular reign of the Glazer family, with many supporters desperate to see an end to their ownership, while the club flounders as they oversee things. The team may be struggling on the pitch, but Old Trafford also feels like an old stadium that needs lots of work done to it, and United are at risk of falling behind many of their rivals.
On the plus side, boyhood Red Devils supporter Ratcliffe is set to buy a 25% minority stake of the club imminently, which does at least represent a positive for the fans, even though it means the Glazers are staying on for the time being at least.
A new claim suggests that the Englishman is planning to make his presence felt from the off, which acts as an encouraging update.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe latest
According to a key update from The Times' Matt Dickinson, Ratcliffe is planning to invest £245m into improving the infrastructure of Manchester United, once he buys 25% of the club:
"Sir Jim Ratcliffe will commit £245 million from his own fortune to upgrading Manchester United’s infrastructure, including Old Trafford, when he completes his deal to buy 25 per cent of the club.
"The Times revealed last month that Ineos was planning to set aside funds to renovate and potentially expand the 74,310-capacity stadium, which is in need of urgent modernisation."
This will be music to the ears of many United supporters, who feel that the Glazers have done very little to actually improve the club for many years, even if they have still allowed managers to spend plenty of money on new signings.
Having been the envy of every other club in the country during the 1990s, they are now bordering on being a laughing stock and need freshening up on and off the pitch, so this Ratcliffe update is clearly a step in the right direction.
In an ideal world, he will become United's sole owner as time moves on, with his love for the club making him a far better option than the Glazers, and his decisions will likely be genuine ones that benefit the team he grew up supporting.
For now, though, a 25% share is the next best thing, and his popularity will only rise from the off if he sticks to his word to "significantly change the performance structure and personnel at the club", as well as "improve the facilities" at the club.