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Sources: Ratcliffe faces weeks of delays as new Man United takeover twist revealed
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will have to wait up to eight weeks before being granted decision-making power at Man United, Football Insider has been told.
The British billionaire is on the verge of acquiring a 25 percent stake in the Red Devils after rival bidder Sheikh Jassim withdrew from the process.
The deal is set to cost Ratcliffe more than £1.25 billion according to Sky News.
It is the first step towards Ratcliffe acquiring a majority stake in the club from the Glazer family, but it is understood he will still have decision-making power over all sporting matters despite initially only acquiring 25 percent.
However, Football Insider has been told that it could take up to eight weeks before the deal is fully approved and he is granted decision-making power at Old Trafford.
It means Ratcliffe is unlikely to have any impact on United’s transfer business during the upcoming January window.
Despite Ratcliffe not yet having official decision-making power at United, changes behind the scenes have already begun to take place in anticipation of the takeover.
United announced the departure of club CEO Richard Arnold this week, and that news is set to be followed by the official announcement of Ratcliffe’s investment in the coming days.
The club is already in the process of hiring a new CEO, with The Telegraph reporting that highly-rated Jean-Claude Blanc is favourite to replace Arnold.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS team are also eyeing up the appointment of a director of football as he looks to reshape the structure of United’s footballing department.
In other news, Man United plan to reject Antony offer amid Ratcliffe reveal