Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a billionaire who already owns the French team Nice, is close to obtaining a 25% share in Manchester United.
Man United might try to sell some of their top players.
The end of this Old Trafford tale is finally drawing near, however it’s not the complete takeover that Manchester United supporters were looking for.
As a result of the Qatari financier Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani withdrawing from the bidding process, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are edging closer to acquiring a 25% share in the club. Ratcliffe intends to finally seize complete control of United.
The 70-year-old will bring with him a plethora of knowledge and connections in elite sports, and as the owner of French team OGC Nice, he has already dipped his toes into the world of football.
With Francesco Farioli, a Roberto De Zerbi student, in charge, Les Aiglons are doing fairly well in Ligue 1 this season, sitting second after being unbeaten in their first eight games.
Who are the players that Ratcliffe might target from Nice if and when he joins United? 90 minutes looks at.
Todibo, Jean-Clair
Placement: center-back
Age: 23
Fun fact: Received the Ligue 1 red card in nine seconds, which is a record.
Let’s start with a player who United is actively interested in: Jean-Clair Todibo, a French international.
Those of you with a good memory and familiarity with European football may recall his brief stint as Barcelona’s next hope. He made five appearances for La Blaugrana between 2019 and 2021 and was loaned out three times before agreeing to a permanent contract with Nice.
As soon as he arrived at the Allianz Riviera, Todibo and William Saliba, an Arsenal loanee, forged a solid connection that has helped Todibo develop into one of his nation’s more commanding center backs.
Harry Maguire ended up staying at Old Trafford, contrary to what 90min claimed in August that United were keeping an eye on Todibo in case they were able to move him.
Khephren Thuram
Position: Central midfielder
Age: 22
Fun fact: Named after an Egyptian Pharaoh
Son of Lillian and younger brother of Marcus, midfielder Khephren Thuram is making his own waves in football.
A gangly yet aesthetically pleasing and unique box-to-box midfielder, Thuram has already caught the eye of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
United are actually pretty well-stacked in the midfield department right now, but if they ever needed another gigantic midfielder, they know where to find one.
Marcin Bulka
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 24
Fun fact: Ligue 1 winner, technically
Right, this is a little bit of projection on our part, but there’s still method in the madness.
Marcin Bulka’s tally of eight appearances for Nice this term is one away from matching his record for games in a season, so he’s still fairly inexperienced.
That said, the Polish goalkeeper has proven to be one of the best shot-stoppers in Ligue 1 so far, keeping five clean sheets and notably saving two penalties from Folarin Balogun in a milestone win at rivals Monaco.
Having spent three years in Chelsea’s youth ranks, he would count as a homegrown option for English teams. Football Manager players, get your squad-planning tools ready.
Terem Moffi
https://twitter.com/footballontnt/status/1702782205288677737?t=aOCuPw8pRqI2aCsaupkfxg&s=19
Position: Striker
Age: 24
Fun fact: Played at the Buckswood Football Academy in Hastings as a teenager
The path to stardom has been an unorthodox one for Nigeria’s Terem Moffi.
After leaving his home country at the age of 17 but failing to make it in England, he managed to kick-start his career playing in Lithuania. A move to Belgium with Kortrijk followed, and for the last three years, he’s been tearing up France with Lorient and Nice.
90min reported back in January that Premier League clubs were keeping tabs on Moffi prior to his move to the Mediterranean coast
If United want a suitably physical deputy to Rasmus Hojlund, Moffi could be their man, as best evidenced by his manhandling of Paris Saint-Germain above.
