Ineos chairman and CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe, one of the richest men in Britain, has officially expressed an interest in buying Manchester United.
The Red Devils' current owners - the Glazer family - have been in control of the club for 17 years since completing their full takeover in the summer of 2005.
The Americans' ownership was immediately met with protests from supporters, who have continued to voice their opposition to the Glazers in recent years.
In November, it was announced that the Glazer family would consider a full sale of Man United if it was in the club's best interest, saying in a statement: "Manchester United plc (NYSE:MANU), one of the most successful and historic sports clubs in the world, announces today that the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") is commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives for the club.
"The process is designed to enhance the club's future growth, with the ultimate goal of positioning the club to capitalize on opportunities both on the pitch and commercially.
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"As part of this process, the Board will consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the Company."
Ratcliffe, who is a Man United fan, is now confirmed to be launching a bid, with a spokesperson telling The Times: "We have formally put ourselves into the process."
The 70-year-old was one of the parties interested in buying Chelsea from Roman Abramovich last year, but he fell short with a £4.25bn bid to take over at Stamford Bridge, where he is a season ticket holder.
Ratcliffe also owns Ligue 1 side Nice and Swiss Super League outfit FC Lausanne-Sport, as well as acquiring a stake in Mercedes' Formula One team in 2020.
However, the Ineos chairman will not be alone in his bid to buy Man United as the report adds that bids are expected to arrive from Asia, the United States and the Middle East.
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Co-chairman Avram Glazer reportedly met with potential investors in Qatar during the World Cup, and a report from last week stated that the Red Devils were expecting takeover offers imminently.
Tech giants Apple and Amazon have also been linked with multi-billion pound bids for the 20-time English champions, with the Glazers said to be after between £6bn and £7bn to sanction a sale.
Man United's long-time rivals Liverpool have also been put up for sale by their owners, but a spokesperson for Ratcliffe ruled out a bid for the Reds last year, saying: "Our position has developed since the summer and we are now focusing our efforts in Nice and raising our ambitions for the club to make them into a top tier club in France to compete with PSG.
"This would represent much better value for our investment than buying one of the top tier Premier League clubs."
Man United fans' disdain with the Glazers reached boiling point in 2021 after the club's failed attempt to join the botched European Super League, leading fans to break onto the Old Trafford pitch and force the postponement of a Premier League game with Liverpool.
This season, the Red Devils find themselves third in the Premier League table and could jump to second with victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday - cutting the gap to leaders Arsenal to six points in the process.
Ben Knapton
