Sir Jim Ratcliffe offered Jeff Bezos proposal involving Manchester United before Liverpool approach | OneFootball

Manchester United’s billionaire co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, offered Jeff Bezos a lucrative proposal involving the Old Trafford club before the businessman was approached to purchase Liverpool from Fenway Sports Group.

Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of petrochemicals company INEOS, bought a 27.7 per cent stake in United in the early months of 2024 for £1.25 billion, while the Glazer family retained a majority stake in the club.

INEOS and Ratcliffe took charge of football operations, and their overhaul led to significant changes across the club, including redeveloped £50 million training facilities, job cuts across the company, and proposals to rebuild Old Trafford in a regeneration project worth £4.2 billion.

The stadium, which will hold 100,000 people and become England’s biggest ground, would rank as the second-largest in Europe behind Barcelona’s Camp Nou, which is set to accommodate around 105,000 spectators when renovations are fully complete in 2028.

Sources claim that Ratcliffe tried, on more than one occasion, to persuade other billionaires to invest in the project, but, despite being in contact with Bezos and Elon Musk, United moved on without the backing of either of the world’s richest men, who hold net worths of $246 billion and $486 billion respectively.

Bezos never showed much interest in the United enterprise and has now opted to hold talks for the purchase of a 30 per cent stake in Premier League rivals Liverpool instead, according to The Guardian.

The Amazon founder has already held talks with Amit Bhatia, who owns the consortium which previously ran Queens Park Rangers and has made a provisional offer of £1.35 billion to buy a stake from FSG. It is understood that there are conversations ongoing with other potential investors.

Bezos, 62, has previously explored bids for NFL franchises Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks, but has never looked at investing in the Premier League – the 2026 FIFA World Cup could have played a part in his desire to invest in England’s top division.

On Wednesday, an FSG spokesperson said: “An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club.”

Liverpool have undergone significant changes this summer following the sacking of Arne Slot in May, with FSG appointing the former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola to help them compete for Premier League glory once again.

On the proposal of Bezos potentially becoming a shareholder in Liverpool, lifelong supporter Andy said: “For me, it is always hard to tell when you get new part owners. Sometimes they deliver their promise, some don’t do what they say they will.

“Bezos is not the most popular figure in the world, which I hope won’t affect the club’s global reach. However, you cannot turn down the chance for extra income.”

Liverpool get their 2026/27 season underway against Newcastle United on August 23 at St. James’ Park, which follows a series of pre-season friendlies in the United States, where they will face Sunderland, Wrexham, and Leeds United.

The Merseyside club and their supporters will hope for a better-looking campaign in the Premier League and Europe this season after their title defence under Slot was described as “Liverpool’s most toxic season in 16 years” by The Telegraph.

Under Slot, Liverpool earned unwanted history when they recorded 11 dropped points from goals conceded after the 90th minute, losing a remarkable five Premier League matches to stoppage-time conversions – the most by any side in a single Premier League season.

Indeed, the deeply saddening passing of Diogo Jota would have certainly damaged the club’s mindset going into last season too, and that understandable pain wasn’t helped when Mohamed Salah, one of the club’s greatest ever players, said that he felt he had been “thrown under the bus”, following a 3-3 draw with Leeds in December, causing uproar both internally and externally.