Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s team does not accept the clause allowing Dortmund to buy Jadon Sancho outright in the summer of 2024.
According to Sky Sports on January 7, Dortmund wants to borrow Sancho until the end of the 2023-2024 season with a buyout clause. However, the team of billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who is about to own 25% of Man Utd’s shares, does not accept this term. They think that if Sancho regains his form, they can sell him at a high price during the summer transfer window. In addition, they have another option: to bring the English winger back to Man Utd.
While playing for Dortmund, from 2017 to 2021, Sancho was one of the best young players in Europe. In 137 matches, the English winger scored 50 goals and assisted 64 times for the German team. However, since joining Man Utd for 93 million USD in 2021, Sancho has never been in good form. In 82 matches, he only scored 12 goals and assisted six times.
Sancho stops playing for Man Utd from August 26, 2023. After being criticized by coach Erik Ten Hag for being lazy in practice, he responded on social networks and was pushed down to the youth team. The club asked Sancho to apologize to return, but he refused.
During the time Sancho was disciplined, Man Utd also played erratically. The Old Trafford team has been eliminated from the Champions League and League Cup, and is ranked eighth in the Premier League. Coach Ten Hag is facing the risk of being fired.
On December 24, Man Utd announced Ratcliffe’s investment agreement. The British billionaire will spend 1.3 billion USD to buy 25% of shares and invest an additional 300 million in club operations. He will run Man Utd’s sports segment, while the Glazer family still holds the majority stake and the commercial segment. The deal is awaiting approval from the Premier League Organizing Committee.
After the agreement was announced, Ratcliffe and his colleagues had many conversations with Ten Hag, players and club staff. The British billionaire declared that he is not interested in making a profit from the investment, but only focuses on sporting success. He also said that the additional investment of 300 million is just the first step.
Ratcliffe is the founder, Chairman and CEO of INEOS petrochemical corporation. Through this group, he invested in football, cycling and F1 teams. According to Forbes magazine, Ratcliffe has a fortune of $23.7 billion.