Jean Claude-Blanc accompanied Sir Jim Ratcliffe on a Manchester United ‘fact-finding mission’ with suggestions the Frenchman is poised to become chief executive at Old Trafford.
The INEOS owner is close to completing a deal to buy 25 per cent of the club from the Glazers. An announcement is expected over the coming weeks. Ahead of officially becoming a major shareholder at Old Trafford, Ratcliffe has allowed a couple of his close allies to get acclimated at the club.
Blanc is the overwhelming favourite to replace Richard Arnold as the club's next permanent CEO and according to The Athletic, he attended a meeting with executives at Old Trafford on Thursday. He was joined by Ratcliffe himself and INEOS’s director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford.
It is reported that the talks represented a ‘fact finding mission' for INEOS and signifies a major step towards a deal. The Red Devils’ current football director John Murtough and their interim CEO Patrick Stewart were both in attendance.
The meeting was also not the first time that Brailsford and Blanc have visited the club. It is suggested that they joined Ratcliffe at Old Trafford in March during the initial takeover process.
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Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani was competing with Ratcliffe in an effort to buy the club outright before he confirmed that he was withdrawing from the race. Any deal would see more than a year of negotiations finally come to an end.
Jean-Claude Blanc was at the heart of a meeting at Old Trafford on Thursday (Getty Images)Where will Man Utd finish in the Premier League this season? Share your predictions in the comments below
The Glazers put the club up for sale in November last year. The American family expressed their intentions to consider a wide array of options including “new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the company”.
Should a deal get over the line sooner rather than later, that would allow Erik ten Hag ’s side to focus on their commitments on the pitch. The Red Devils have endured a decidedly mixed second season under the Dutchman’s stewardship.
They have already lost ten matches in all competitions - form that has seen them staring an early Champions League exit in the face. However, they did manage to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.
Another victory against Bournemouth this weekend could potentially see them reduce the gap to rivals Manchester City even further. Following the clash with the Cherries, they have their decisive Champions League group game against Bayern Munich.
Games against Liverpool and West Ham then take them into Christmas, by which time Ratcliffe will hope to have completed a deal for his 25 per cent stake.
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