A glimpse into Man United’s future strategy? Sir Jim Ratcliffe will revise his transfer approach at Nice by signing promising youngsters instead of high-earners in a bid to topple PSG
Prospective Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is revising his strategy at Nice to focus on promising young players rather than high earners.
Ratcliffe’s INEOS group bought Nice in 2019 with a plan to make the club a French powerhouse to challenge Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance of Ligue 1. Former British cycling boss Sir Dave Brailsford has been at the heart of the project.
Yet Nice have not progressed as rapidly as INEOS would have hoped and Mail Sport understands there has been a change of approach, with players like Kasper Schmeichel – who joined on a lucrative contract last summer – and Aaron Ramsey no longer targeted.
Nice finished ninth in Ligue 1 thanks to a strong second half of the season following a poor start to the campaign under Lucien Favre, who was eventually sacked.
Their new coach has a far lower profile – Francesco Farioli, a 34-year-old Italian whose previous jobs were with Turkish clubs Karagumuruk and Alanyaspor.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group bought Nice in 2019 and are looking to topple PSG at the top of Ligue 1
Their previous approach saw them sign established stars like Kasper Schmeichel and Aaron Ramsey on bumper deals
Francesco Farioli has recently taken charge of Nice after Lucien Favre was sacked mid-season
Along with Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Ratcliffe’s group are one of two parties aiming to assume control at Old Trafford.
Should Ratcliffe succeed, he would take around 50 per cent of United, with the two Glazers holding around 25 per cent. It would see the Oldham-born petrochemicals magnate shell out around £2.5bn.
It would also give him the ability to inject funds that may have been used to take a bigger slice on infrastructure and squad strengthening.
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