In a bizarre twist to the current Man United takeover scenario, it appears that Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be ousted from the club in just 18 months by the Glazer family.
The soon-to-be ratified Ratcliffe will have carte blanche to do as he sees fit on the football operations side of the business, and he apparently has first refusal if the Glazers decide to sell up.
However, as The Times (subscription required) note, it’s entirely possible that Sir Jim is forced to sell his shares if the Glazer’s decide that they wish to accept an alternative offer.
Nothing of the sort can happen for the first 12 months after the deal with the INEOS chief is completed, but paperwork has revealed that after 18 months the Glazer’s can, if they wish, sell the club outright.
The latter scenario is one that Man United’s long-suffering fan base have been dreaming about for years, though if it meant that Sir Jim also had to move on, particularly if he shows a willingness to engage with the supporters and do exactly as he’d intimated during the tender process, that’s also likely to rile the Old Trafford faithful.
Nothing is surprising in football these days, and where cash is still King, who’s to say where the club will be at during the latter part of 2026.