INEOS officially expand bid for £2 billion deal

INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have become central figures at Manchester United since taking a co-ownership role at Old Trafford.

However, their work around the squad has continued to divide supporters.

United were active this summer, particularly in midfield.

Michael Carrick was handed Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos as genuine first-team additions.

Meanwhile, Karl Darlow arrived to provide experienced competition as the club’s new back-up goalkeeper.

Yet one area many supporters wanted addressed was defence.

No senior left-back arrived despite concerns over the depth behind Luke Shaw, and United’s opening three Premier League games hardly eased those worries.

The Red Devils began with a 2-0 defeat away to newly-promoted Hull City before recovering to beat Ipswich 5-2 at Old Trafford.

A dramatic 2-2 draw at Everton followed, meaning United have already conceded six league goals against, with all respect, opposition they would usually expect to dominate.

INEOS have also continued investing below senior level.

Tynan Thompson was recruited earlier in the summer, while United have now completed a deal to sign Liverpool midfielder Isaac Konde.

Fabrizio Romano reported earlier on Monday that formal steps for the 16-year-old’s move had been completed.

INEOS expand £2bn project

Away from Manchester United, INEOS have now officially expanded their push for a huge British government contract.

According to the INEOS Grenadier website, Hobson Industries and TVS Supply Chain Solutions have joined INEOS Automotive, SMT Defence and NMS UK to form the strengthened “Team Grenadier”.

The consortium has entered the Ministry of Defence tender to provide the Armed Forces’ next Light Mobility Vehicle.

The programme is valued at an estimated £2 billion before VAT and is intended to replace capabilities currently provided by ageing vehicles including Land Rovers and Pinzgauers.

INEOS are proposing militarised versions of the Grenadier and Quartermaster as the common base platform.

The eventual programme could involve thousands of vehicles across multiple military roles, making it another enormous project associated with Ratcliffe’s wider business empire.