Sir Jim Ratcliffeis officially Manchester United’s new co-owner (AFP via Getty)
Manchester United have confirmed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has now officially completed his 27.7 per cent takeover of the club in a £1.3 billion deal.
Ratcliffe said: ‘To become co-owner of Manchester United is a great honour and comes with great responsibility.
‘This marks the completion of the transaction, but just the beginning of our journey to take Manchester United back to the top of English, European and world football, with world-class facilities for our fans.
‘Work to achieve those objectives will accelerate from today.’
Joel Glazer, United’s executive co-chairman, said: ‘I would like to welcome Sir Jim as co-owner and look forward to working closely with him and INEOS Sport to deliver a bright future for Manchester United.’
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford with Erik ten Hag (Getty)
Ratcliffe, the petrochemicals billionaire, has already made significant changes behind the scenes at United after his purchase was initially announced in December.
Sir Dave Brailsford, the former British Cycling performance director, has been brought in by Ratcliffe as part of United’s new-look hierarchy, while Omar Berrada joined from rivals Manchester City in January as the club’s chief executive.
Ratcliffe is still looking to bolster United’s hierarchy and the club are attempting to bring in Dan Ashworth as their first-ever sporting director, although Newcastle United are demanding a £20 million compensation fee for the 52-year-old, who was placed on gardening leave this week.
Ratcliffe, who is a United supporter, is also already exploring options to undergo a major redevelopment of Old Trafford.
More Trending
A statement released by United on Tuesday evening read: ‘Manchester United plc (NYSE: MANU), and Trawlers Limited, an entity wholly-owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are pleased to confirm that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has completed his acquisition of 25% of the club’s Class B shares and 25% of the club’s Class A shares, following the satisfaction of all conditions, including approvals from the Football Association and the Premier League.
‘The tender offer (the “Offer”) by Trawlers Limited for up to 25% of the Class A shares, at a price of $33.00 per share, expired one minute after 11:59 pm Eastern Time on 16 February 2024. Following the expiration, Trawlers Limited accepted for payment 13,237,834 Class A shares validly tendered in the Offer (and not validly withdrawn), representing 25% of the total outstanding Class A shares as of expiration. Computershare Trust Company N.A., the depositary for the Offer, has advised that the proration factor for the Offer is approximately 26.2%.
‘Following the closing of the Offer and the acquisition of the Class B shares, Sir Jim has invested $200 million into the club for additional Class A and Class B shares via a primary issuance, resulting in ownership of approximately 27.7% of the club’s Class A shares and 27.7% of the club’s Class B shares, with a further $100 million to be invested by 31 December 2024. These funds are intended to enable future investment in infrastructure at Old Trafford.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Manchester United news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.