Richard Arnold to leave Manchester United as Sir Jim Ratcliffe deal nears completion

Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold is set to leave the club by the end of the year.

The 52-year-old was always expected to depart once Sir Jim Ratcliffe's bid to buy a 25 per cent stake in the club was made official, with the deal expected to be ratified during November's international break.

United are yet to confirm Ratcliffe’s proposed £1.3billion investment, but Arnold's departure is one of a number of changes expected as part of the British billionaire's review of the current sporting structure in place.

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Arnold has been at United since 2007 and played a huge role in their commercial growth as a club during this time. He was appointed chief executive in February 2022, following Ed Woodward’s exit as executive vice chairman.

Last month, the Manchester Evening News revealed that Arnold believes the club is making "good progress" and that Erik ten Hag retained the full backing of the club.

Arnold told interested observers United are progressing as a club. United posted record full-year revenues of £648.4million on Thursday but still recorded a loss of £42.1m last season.

It is understood that Patrick Stewart will replace Arnold on an interim basis once the Ineos Group investment is confirmed, with former Juventus chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc under consideration for a permanent role.

Ratcliffe is expected to make further changes to the sporting structure after his minority stake is ratified, with speculation also surrounding John Murtough's role as football director.