Manchester United takeover latest as Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘to hand Erik ten Hag transfer war chest’

The Manchester United takeover process is set to come to a head very soon amid the possibility that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has his 25 per cent investment bid ratified before the end of the international break.

The saga has lasted almost a full year with the Glazers staging several rounds of bidding before Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani withdrew his 100 per cent buy-out bid a month ago.

Ratcliffe had initially wanted a 69 per cent majority share but changed tack with the Glazers dragging their feet. Instead he will shell out £1.3billion for a quarter of the club, with reports suggesting he will also supply an additional £245m to go towards infrastructure refurbishment.

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Speculation now moots that the INEOS owner will hand a large pot of money to Erik ten Hag for transfers while his close allies are expected to be present at Carrington this week.

A report from the Sun claims Ratcliffe will provide a sizeable amount of money for Ten Hag to spend on a full-back and winger in January. Jadon Sancho looks set to exit amid his standoff, albeit on loan initially, with Antony not pulling up any trees so far.

In fact, the article claims that Ten Hag would be willing to listen to offers for the £85m man, with the Dutchman taking the same stance on Anthony Martial.

United figures were concerned about breaching Financial Fair Play rules over the summer and could take the same caution in January after a £170m-plus spend in the last window. Sales would need to be made, then, to calm those nerves.

Sancho is likely to go out on loan while it seems unlikely sales for Antony and Martial would be enacted