Manchester United and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have “agreed” terms over a new off-field Old Trafford move, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Ratcliffe making his mark at Man Utd
It has been a busy start to 2024 for Ratcliffe and INEOS after taking control of sporting decisions in Manchester from the Glazers. The co-owner, alongside Sir Dave Brailsford, has already brought in Omar Berrada as CEO from rivals Manchester City, whereas Newcastle United’s Dan Ashworth is wanted as sporting director.
On the manager front, a plethora of names have been linked to possibly replace Erik ten Hag, including Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, England boss Gareth Southgate, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil.
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Ratcliffe has also addressed his likely transfer policy, hinting that he wouldn’t be splashing the cash. When asked about Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, he said:
“He’s a great footballer (Bellingham) but it’s not where our focus is. The solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They’ve done that, if you look at the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes, managing and organising the club. We must make sure we get recruitment right, such a vital part of running a football club is getting recruitment right, finding new players.”
On the idea of signing Mbappe, who is on course to join Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, Ratcliffe then added:
“I’d rather find the next Mbappe, rather than spend a fortune to buy success. It’s not that clever to buy Mbappe, anybody could figure that one out.”
The Red Devils and Ratcliffe will be gearing up for the transfer window, and to do that, it looks as if they are on course to land a new technical director.
Wilcox to join Man Utd
Southampton’s Jason Wilcox was linked with a move to Manchester last month, and now there has been a significant development over a deal.
There were a number of updates from Romano on Monday, who said that the 53-year-old had resigned at St Mary’s and is set to join Man Utd.
The transfer expert later posted that Wilcox has also “agreed terms” with the Red Devils over an Old Trafford move.
It looks as if Ratcliffe’s team behind the scenes is being bolstered with the arrival of Wilcox, with the former Man City head of academy highly rated.
For example, Saints manager Russell Martin praised Wilcox when he heard of the rumours of a move to Man Utd last month.
“I’d like to think he would have a chat with us if anything was in it. He’s so honest, he’s so open, he’s been such a big driver of the culture here, he’s enabled us to do the work that we want to do.
“He’s supported me incredibly well and the staff so I’ve got nothing but praise on the impact he’s had on us and what he’s allowed us to do.”