soccer

Sir Jim Ratcliffe nears OGC Nice sale following huge development

Yahoo Sports

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is closing in on a sale of OGC Nice after the latest breakthrough.Tough sellRatcliffe put Nice up for sale last May but he has had trouble finding suitors ...

Sir Jim Ratcliffe nears OGC Nice sale following huge development Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is closing in on a sale of OGC Nice after the latest breakthrough. Tough sell Ratcliffe put Nice up for sale last May but he has had trouble finding suitors amidst his hefty £200million valuation. The INEOS billionaire’s time at the helm of the French club has been a story of turbulence and repeated false dawns.

Under him, Nice have finished as high as fourth last season, while Franck Haise was in the dugout. However, Haise was sacked and replaced by former Leicester City boss Claude Puel, who currently has the club in 15th place, eight points above the relegation zone. Nice are staring at their lowest Ligue 1 finish since the 2013/14 campaign, a season that saw them end in 17th place.

Context matters, though, as that was a 20-team league, whereas the competition has been trimmed to 18 teams since 2023. The displeasure of Nice fans with Ratcliffe’s management has been well documented, and it has only escalated further since he gained operational control of United. The British businessman has done himself no favours with remarks about the football being boring and confessing that watching Nice simply doesn’t stimulate him nearly enough.

A report covered by The Peoples Person last month claimed that Ratcliffe had been forced to lower his valuation of Nice as his desperation to exit French football grows. Now, Nice-Matin reveal that Ratcliffe’s reduced price tag has attracted a handful of potential buyers. Nice boost for Ratcliffe According to the news outlet, “Things are moving behind the scenes regarding the sale of OGC Nice.