This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
Published on August 21, 2019, the UK's competition authority has cleared Britain's third richest man Jimmy Ratcliffe to buy French Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice.
Ratcliffe, worth over £18.15 billion, had been interested in buying Manchester United and was also linked with a £2 billion bid for Chelsea earlier this year.
He now has the go-ahead to complete his offer reportedly worth KSh 10 billion for Nice, according to BBC (UK).
OGC Nice finished 7th in Ligue 1 last season and is managed by Patrick Vieira, who has led the team to two-out-of-two wins in the 2019/20 season, coming in at second place below Lyon.
The petrochemical tycoon is the official sponsor of British cycling team Ineos and pumps in almost £40m a year.
When asked about Manchester United, Ratcliffe previously said: “I’m a tortured Manchester United fan. We [Ineos] have dipped our toe in the water with football.”
