Manchester United co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is reportedly exploring the sale of Ligue 1 club OGC Nice. The New York-based investment bank Lazard has been tasked with finding a buyer for the club at an asking price of €250m ($283.2m, £213m).
Ratcliffe acquired Nice from its former Chinese-American ownership group led by Chien Lee and Paul Conway in 2019 for €100 million. Since then, his INEOS firm has invested heavily in the club, injecting around €216million ($245m) into shares – a figure that does not include any other loans they may have made.
However, despite this significant investment, Ratcliffe's tenure at Allianz Riviera hasn't always been well-received by fans who accuse him of treating the club as a secondary priority.
Broadcasting deal complications
The potential sale of Nice is complicated by uncertainty surrounding Ligue 1’s broadcast deal. Currently, French football lacks a domestic TV deal for next season after DAZN streaming platform terminated their four-year agreement just one season in.
Ratcliffe's ownership of both Manchester United and OGC Nice has sparked numerous conflicts of interest over time. In July 2024 UEFA informed United that they would be permitted to compete in the Europa League alongside Nice - ending a long-standing saga.
However, just one month earlier UEFA had blocked Manchester United from signing Jean-Clair Todibo from OGC Nice - he ended up joining West Ham instead. Despite these controversies and complications though; during their Europa League campaign; Nice successfully avoided facing off against Manchester United before being eliminated from the competition.
Full takeover of Manchester United?
Recently there have been reports suggesting that Ratcliffe's decision to sell Nice is driven by his desire to finance a full takeover of Manchester United. French news outlet revealed that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is interested in taking over control of OGC Nice.
The sale of OGC Nice marks a significant shift in Sir Jim Ratcliffe's football investment strategy. While the potential acquisition by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund could bring new opportunities for the club, it remains to be seen how this will impact both OGC Nice and Manchester United moving forward.
