When we came to buy Manchester United, we mean business. We want to sign the best players in the world”.Ratcliffe lines up ‘the largest offer in history’ with Mbappe ‘agreement’ in place with three other top players in Europe.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will green light a £172m Man Utd bid for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior in the summer transfer window, according to reports.The Red Devils confirmed on Christmas Eve that the British billionaire had agreed a deal to buy 25 per cent of the club, subject to Premier League ratification.Ratcliffe attended his first match at Old Trafford since the news of the agreement on Sunday with Man Utd held to a 2-2 draw against Tottenham in the Premier League.

Speaking in a press conference, Ratcliffe told reporters that he expects the deal to officially go through in early February, he said: “I think it’s three or four weeks. Early Feb.”Ratcliffe added: “It’s the first match for me since we sort of got there, if you like. I am very excited to be here, but I can’t answer any questions, really, because that would be inappropriate, honestly.“It’s a big match… we normally do well against Spurs!”

Ratcliffe is expected to take over footballing operations when he starts work at Old Trafford with the INEOS founder keen to appoint a new sporting director and overhaul the recruitment department.And Spanish publication Nacional insists that Ratcliffe is ‘interested’ in taking Vinicius to Old Trafford with Man Utd ‘preparing an offer of €200m (£172m)’ for the Real Madrid winger.That would make him ‘the second most expensive signing in football history’ behind Neymar and would be ‘the largest offer in the history of Manchester United’.It is understood the money from that deal would give them ‘enough resources to bring in’ Kylian Mbappe ‘and ensure the arrival of other players of interest, such as Alphonso Davies’.Nacional add that Man Utd ‘will have to do a great job to seduce’ Vinicius, while they claim Real Madrid now have an ‘agreement’ in place to sign Mbappe – who has also attracted interest from Liverpool – on a free agent in the summer.Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has also given an update on Real Madrid’s potential interest in Bayern Munich’s Davies.

Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “Alphonso Davies is a top target for Real Madrid in the summer. Nothing will happen this January, but Real Madrid want to push to sign Davies in the summer transfer window – they are working on it, discussing internally, with Davies always mentioned as one of their top targets.

“Bayern can try to extend Davies’ contract, for sure, but if they can’t get anything done by around April or May, then the left-back could leave and for sure Real Madrid will be there. Keep an eye on this one because Real Madrid certainly consider Davies one of their priorities for the summer window.”