Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already outlined how he would run Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Failsworth-born billionaire businessman who wants to buy Manchester United, has already outlined how he would run a football club when he attempted to buy Chelsea earlier this year.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ratcliffe confirmed his interest in buying his boyhood club. The spokesperson told The Times: "If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer. If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership. This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent.

"Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset."

Also read: Who is Sir Jim Ratcliffe?

The comments will have been echoed by many United supporters following the scenes we have seen so far this year, after a protest taking place on the opening day of the season prior to the loss to Brighton, and with another planned ahead of the Liverpool match next Monday.

Should Ratcliffe take over there will obviously be a lot of interest in what his plans are for United, and when he attempted to stage a takeover at Chelsea earlier this year, he said he wouldn't view it as a money-making enterprise - an approach he would surely also take at United.

"No, we’re not interested in making money out of Chelsea," Ratcliffe said. "Can we run that club really, really well and turn it into one of the finest clubs in Europe? That’s our ambition with Chelsea.

"We make lots of money in chemicals, we don’t need to make money out of (Chelsea). We don’t think of it as a financial asset."

His bid for Chelsea would ultimately fall flat as Todd Boehly took over the London club but that could end up being the best