British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is interested in buying Manchester United

By Sammy Mngqosini, CNN

Updated 1410 GMT (2210 HKT) August 18, 2022

Ratcliffe is a majority shareholder of chemical group INEOS and has stated an interest in buying Manchester United if the club is for sale.

London (CNN)British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe expressed interest in buying Manchester United on Tuesday — if the club is for sale.

In an email to CNN Sport, a spokesman for Ratcliffe confirmed his interest in the renowned Premier League club, saying: «We are simply confirming interest in the club if it is for sale.» According to Forbes, Manchester United is worth $4.6 billion. Controlled by the Glazer family, which also owns the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Manchester United is one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world, but it hasn't won the English Premier League since 2013.Ratcliffe's interest comes after a Bloomberg report, citing unidentified sources, that the Glazer family is open to selling a minority stake in the Premier League club to a US investment firm. Rumors that the club was for sale emerged on Tuesday afterElon Musk tweeted he was buying the club before later clarifying that his statement was part of a long-running joke and he wasn't buying any sports team.Read MoreCNN has reached out the Glazer family and Manchester United and has not received confirmation that the club is for sale. READ: Manchester United's game plan went 'in the bin' during 4-0 defeat, according to manager Erik ten HagRatcliffe is a majority shareholder of chemical group INEOS which owns French side Nice, Swiss club Lausanne-Sport, the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team and has a partnership with the Mercedes F1 team.In May, Ratcliffe made a last-minute bid to buy Chelsea FC before losing out to the Todd Boehly consortium. The