Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly agreed a deal to acquire a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United from the Glazer family – so we’ve taken a look at five players he could sign at Old Trafford if the deal goes through. According to The Athletic, a 12-strong board will vote later this week on whether British billionaire Ratcliffe can complete his deal, said to be worth between £1.3-1.5 billion, to take over at United.Ratcliffe and INEOS are already involved in other football clubs. They own Swiss side Lausanne-Sport and French club Nice.And according to The Telegraph, Ratcliffe has negotiated a clause in the deal for United which will see him take control of the footballing operations at Old Trafford.
Here are five players he could sign from Nice, who are currently unbeaten in Ligue 1 after eight games this term and sit in second place behind Monaco.
Khephren Thuram
Khephren Thuram was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, with Fabrizio Romano claiming that the Reds walked away from a deal due to it being too expensive.
Liverpool’s loss could be United’s gain, however, with the 22-year-old central midfielder starting the Ligue 1 season strongly.He enters the final 12 months of his deal next summer, which could make him an ideal choice for United.
Jean-Clair Todibo
Jean-Clair Todibo was on the shortlist to replace Harry Maguire if he left United in the summer. But Maguire stayed put, meaning there was to be no Old Trafford move for the former Barcelona defender.
The 23-year-old centre-back is an imposing figure and strong on the ball, and it could be second time lucky for United in their pursuit of the France defender if Ratcliffe gets involved.
Youcef Atal
United are well stocked at right-back, with both Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka able to play there.But Atal can also fill in on the other flank, and play on the wing if required, making him the Algeria international right-back a potential utility option for Erik ten Hag.
Dante
In most other circumstances, United wouldn’t take a second look at signing a 39-year-old centre-back.But their centre-back injury crisis still shows no signs of abating, with Lisandro Martinez having had surgery on a metatarsal injury.In Dante, Nice currently have a veteran centre-back with Champions League experience who is still consistently performing at a high level. If United sell Maguire in January, and do not have time or funds for a replacement, a short-term deal for the Brazilian may be an option.
Terem Moffi
United are currently short of options up front, despite the summer signing of Rasmus Hojlund.Nice broke their club record to spend around €30 million on 24-year-old Terem Moffi in the summer – and he has already paid back some of that fee by scoring a brace in a 3-1 win over PSG last month.Should United want another striker option, Moffi could be an ideal signing.
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