Manchester United takeover latest as Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'eyes start date' for sporting plan

Manchester United are still playing the waiting game as Sir Jim Ratcliffe prepares to step into the boardroom.

Almost a year after the Glazer family announced a strategic review to their ownership, Sir Jim opted to revise his initial plan for a complete takeover and the INEOS founder is now expected to buy a 25 per cent stake in the club. That is thought to be worth around £1.4billion to the Americans.

Sir Jim and then-fellow bidder Sheikh Jassim went through a formal process to get to a stage where either party could have become the new outright owner before the club took a detour on the next step. Here, we take a look at the latest news, views and headlines regarding proposed investment.

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Sir Jim is hoping to take charge of sporting matters at Old Trafford as early as next week.

That's according to journalist Alan Nixon as the minority takeover edges closer to completion. Sir Jim was initially vying for overall control at United as he went head-to-head with Sheikh Jassim in the bidding process before the Qatari banker withdrew his interest, while the British billionaire opted to revive his proposal.

A completion date has yet to be pencilled in. However, as per the latest reports from Nixon at least, things could be moving towards that direction and with the January transfer window in sight.

Share prices for United on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) climbed to $18.25 before trading resumed across the board on Thursday morning (US time). That marks a 20 cent increase from the previous 24 hours.

After watching the market drop to lows for the calendar year last month, there has been a mini-revival