Manchester United to be acquired by chemical company Ineos in record-breaking Rs 51,400 crore deal: Report

Jim Ratcliffe's chemical company, Ineos, has emerged victorious in the race to acquire Manchester United, outbidding a Qatari group led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, according to an article in The Times published on Saturday. The exact figures of the bid have not been made public, but sources suggest that Ineos is the only bidder to have valued the football club at a price higher than £5 billion, which equates to roughly $6.20 billion or Rs 51,400 crore.

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Manchester United is one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world, with a huge global fan base and a history of on-field success. The club has been owned by the Glazer family, American billionaires, since 2005, and they have come under increasing pressure from fans and critics to sell the club in recent years.

Ineos is no stranger to the world of sports ownership, having acquired the cycling team formerly known as Team Sky and rebranded it as Ineos Grenadiers, as well as owning the French football club OGC Nice. Jim Ratcliffe, the founder and chairman of Ineos, is a keen sports enthusiast and has spoken in the past about his desire to build a "world-class" sports team under the Ineos banner.

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