How Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be 'forced' into Man United sale by the Glazers

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his minority purchase of the club in February 2024

Manchester United co-owners the Glazers could reportedly force Sir Jim Ratcliffe to sell his minority stake in the club if they decide to sell their stake in the Reds.

Ratcliffe completed his minority purchase of United last February after a long and drawn out takeover race with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani. In his first year in charge, Ratcliffe and Ineos have steadily become more unpopular with their cost-cutting measures and hiked ticket prices upsetting those close to the club.

According to Bloomberg, the Glazers have the opportunity to sell the entirety of United later this year which could effectively end Ratcliffe's reign. It is believed the two parties agreed to this measure when the deal was thrashed out at the back end of 2023.

However, there is thought to be a caveat to this which is that Ratcliffe and Ineos would have first dibs on purchasing the Glazers' remaining shares before they are released to the open market. The British billionaire, who grew up supporting United in Failsworth, has previously expressed his interest in completing a full takeover of United.

If, for some reason, Ratcliffe did not want to complete a full takeover of United, then Sheikh Jassim would be considered one of the favourites to complete a purchase. Talk of the Glazers leaving entirely would be welcome news to a large swathe of the United fanbase who believe the American family has mismanaged the club since purchasing it in June 2005.

However, having been approached this week by a Sky Sports News journalist in Miami, Avram Glazer insisted that he and his family had no intention of selling their shares in the club.