Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes bid to buy Nice after talk of potential Chelsea takeover

Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes bid to buy Nice after talk of potential Chelsea takeover
The richest man in Britain, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has made a bid to buy French football club Nice.A spokesperson for the 66-year-old’s petrochemicals company INEOS has confirmed Ratcliffe’s interest in the Ligue 1 outfit, who are currently managed by Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.1

Ratcliffe is understood to be worth over 20billion

The statement comes after reports claimed Ratcliffe made a 77million bid for Nice in February, though the offer was rejected by the club’s owner Chien Lee, the Chinese-American investor who also owns League One’s Barnsley.He is understood to value Nice, who currently sit eighth in Ligue 1, at closer to 100million.“INEOS confirms that it has expressed an interest in the club and has had exploratory discussions but can say nothing more at this stage,” a spokesperson said. Ratcliffe, who formed INEOS in 1998, has recently started investing in sport.He bough Swiss football team Lausanne in 2017, invested 110million in a British challenge for the America’s Cup with Sir Ben Ainslie last year and then last month bought cycling’s Team Sky and rebranded them as Team Ineos.

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Ratcliffe, who grew up a Manchester United fan, has been linked with a potential takeover of Chelsea, where he has a season ticket.His interest was first reported last summer amid reports Roman Abramovich, the current owner, could sell Chelsea following issues with obtaining a visa.Ratcliffe was said last month to retain an interest in the Blues, though Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck recently confirmed Abramovich remains committed to the Stamford Bridge outfit.

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