Sir Jim Ratcliffe cuts asking price to sell club

Manchester United’s rebuild continues to dominate the headlines, with every decision at boardroom level now dissected as closely as events on the pitch.

Financial discipline has become a recurring theme at Old Trafford as the club attempts to recover from a turbulent period both competitively and structurally.

Supporters have been promised a leaner, more focused approach behind the scenes, one that prioritises football over distractions elsewhere.

That strategy has already seen changes in recruitment, staffing and long-term planning.

Now, attention has turned to a significant move away from England that could have direct implications for how the club is run.

The spotlight has now fallen back on Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his intention to step back from one of his major football investments outside Manchester United.

The United co-owner has reportedly lowered the asking price for OGC Nice as he looks to streamline the INEOS sports portfolio and reduce complications caused by owning multiple clubs.

Ratcliffe purchased the Ligue 1 side in 2019 for around £86 million (€100 million), at a time when Nice were riding high after finishing third in the French top flight, but the club was put up for sale last year as priorities shifted.

Initially, Ratcliffe was believed to be holding out for a valuation of close to £217 million (€250m), but that figure has now been reduced to under £173 million (€200m), according to Bloomberg, as finding a suitable buyer has proved more difficult than anticipated.

The French football market has been hit hard by a financial crisis sparked by the collapse of key domestic media rights deals, significantly dampening investor interest across Ligue 1.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe still holds stakes in multiple sporting ventures, including Swiss club Lausanne and a minority shareholding in the Mercedes Formula One team, but recent years have seen a clear effort to cut back.

INEOS has withdrawn funding from Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup project and ended high-profile sponsorship arrangements with New Zealand Rugby and Tottenham Hotspur, signalling a broader rethink of its sports strategy.

From a Manchester United perspective, the Nice situation has been more than a background issue.

Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe paid (£1.3bn) to acquire just under 29 per cent of United and take control of football operations, his ownership of another European club has created regulatory headaches.

UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules forced structural changes at Nice last season to allow both clubs to compete in the Europa League, underlining the practical difficulties of maintaining parallel interests.

There were also direct footballing consequences, with Nice temporarily barred from selling players to Manchester United.

That restriction derailed United’s interest in defender Jean-Clair Todibo, who has since moved on and now plays for West Ham United, further frustrating recruitment plans at Old Trafford.

For Ratcliffe, reducing his involvement with Nice appears to be about focus as much as finance.