Who is Jim Ratcliffe and what is his net worth amid Manchester United links?

British businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed he is interested in buying Manchester United.

‘We have formally put ourselves into the process,’ a spokesperson for Ratcliffe told The Times.

The club was put up for sale by the Glazer family back in November, with due diligence to be undertaken on interested parties before bids are likely submitted in February.

But who exactly is United’s potential new owner and what is his net worth? Read on to find out everything you need to know.

Who is Sir Jim Ratcliffe?

Ratcliffe is CEO of the Ineos Group Ltd, having founded the chemicals company in 1998 and of which he still owns two-thirds.

The 70-year-old Manchester United fan also owns the professional cycling team Ineos Grenadiers, French club Nice, and Swiss Super League side FC Lausanne-Sport.

British businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff — Ratcliffe sponsors the Mercedes F1 team (Picture: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

His portfolio also includes Britain’s America’s Cup sailing team as well as a partnership with the Mercedes Formula One team.

Ratcliffe was knighted in 2018 after being named on the Queen’s birthday honours list for services to business and investment.

Ratcliffe, from Oldham but who now lives in Monaco, was interested in buying Chelsea in 2019 but was unwilling to meet then-owner Roman Abramovich’s £2.5 billion asking price.

Ratcliffe made another attempt to buy Chelsea when it came up for sale last year, but was beaten to it by a consortium involving Todd Boehly.

What is Jim Ratcliffe’s net worth?

Estimations for Ratcliffe’s wealth vary significantly. According to Bloomberg’s billionaire index, Ratcliffe has a net worth of around £8.7 billion, while Forbes puts his net worth at around £13.48 billion.

This makes Ratcliffe Britain’s richest man and the 55th wealthiest in the world.

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United’s arch-rivals Manchester City are owned by Sheikh Mansour who has an estimated net worth of around £20 billion.

However, both Ratcliffe and Mansour have significantly less money than Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which controls Newcastle United and has a £400 billion purse.

Ratcliffe owns the Hampshire II superyacht, and in 2022 sold his 50% stake in the Pig Hotels group.