Sir Jim Ratcliffe dealt fresh blow in attempt to sell OGC Nice | OneFootball

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has suffered a fresh setback in his bid to offload OGC Nice.

Turbulent tenure

Ratcliffe acquired Nice in 2019, vowing to make it a force in the French and European football scene. However, the contrary has largely been the case.

He has failed to achieve his goal, and the relationship between INEOS and the club’s supporters has never been worse.

The British businessman’s 2024 takeover of United did little to improve matters, as many in Nice worried they would be forced into a secondary role. Ratcliffe later admitted that he does not enjoy watching Nice games, finding them insufficiently exciting.

At present, Nice sit in 15th place in the Ligue 1 standings, having won just seven, drawn six and lost 15 of the 28 top-flight games they have played. Last year, Ratcliffe put Nice up for sale. Independent advisory firm Lazard Inc. was tasked with finding a buyer.

Ratcliffe was initially seeking €200m but was forced to slash this price as no serious buyers presented themselves. In January, Bloomberg reported that the turmoil over Ligue 1 broadcasting rights had disrupted the process.

Ligue 1 ended a €500m-per-year deal led by DAZN Group in favour of managing their own consumer channel.

Now, journalist Romain Molina has revealed that Ratcliffe has been forced to lower his valuation of Nice even further as the situation becomes increasingly desperate.

Ratcliffe hit with setback

Molina wrote on X, “The more months pass, the lower the amount demanded by Ratcliffe to resell OGC Nice becomes.”

“We’re a far cry from the 150 million (minimum) fantasised at the start…”

While Molina does not reveal Ratcliffe’s current position, the mere fact that he has been compelled to reduce his asking price once more is a significant setback for the United chief.

Meanwhile, United return to action on 13 April when they welcome Leeds United to Old Trafford.

Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

online polls

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social