Jim Ratcliffe ‘enlists Wall Street giants JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs to advise him on Man United bid’

Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly hired Wall Street giants JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to advise him on his bid to buy Manchester United.

Ratcliffe, a Manchester United fan, will face stiff competition from Qatari investors looking to buy the club before the February 17 deadline set by US commercial bankers Raine.

According to Bloomberg, Ratcliffe has hired the Wall Street giants to help him study the feasibility of a bid for Man United.

United announced on November 22 that they were open to a sale or investment and Ratcliffe was the first potential bidder to put his hat in the ring in January.

The Glazer family are likely to struggle to get their desired £6billion offer for United, according to those involved in the process. They believe between £4.1bn and £4.5bn is more realistic.

Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly hired Wall Street giants JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to advise him on his bid to buy Manchester United

The Glazer family first announced last November that they were ready to sell Manchester United

Ratcliffe was also in the running to buy Chelsea last year before the Blues were eventually sold to a consortium led by Todd Boehly.

The chemicals tycoon, who is worth around £13.3bn, first spoke about his interest in buying United if they ever launched last summer.

When the Glazers suddenly put the club up for sale after years of fan protests over ownership, a Ratcliffe spokesman said: “We have officially entered the process.”

But as Sportsmail revealed on Wednesday, a Qatari private wealth fund is set to buy the Premier League giants.

After the World Cup hosted by Qatar, the group of Qatari investors took an interest in United.

Last month there was growing belief that they should have a stake in what they consider to be the biggest club in the world.

Discussions followed between the prospective buyers and the United hierarchy. The Qataris are also confident that Paris Saint-Germain’s ownership by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) will not pose any problems.

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