Manchester United’s Jim Ratcliffe ‘spent time’ with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak discussing strategy

New investor at Old Trafford, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly held talks with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak discussing football strategy.

Ratcliffe’s deal to buy a 25% stake in rivals Manchester United was approved by the Premier League in recent weeks, with the total valuation of the deal understood to be worth in the region of $1.3 billion.

Much to the disappointment of the majority of Manchester United supporters, the Glazer family will retain a majority stake in the Old Trafford club, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group will take control of football operations.

Following the capture of Omar Berrada from Manchester City to take up the role of CEO at Manchester United last month, it appears as though the links between Ratcliffe and the Etihad side may be much closer than first imagined.

According to MailSport’s Mike Keegan, Sir Jim Ratcliffe spent time with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak during which the pair spoke about ‘financial strategy’ in football, and how ‘return could far outstrip investment’. 

The report continues by revealing that Khaldoon Al Mubarak estimated that City and their group of clubs across the City Group were now worth twice how much had been spent since the Abu Dhabi takeover of 2008. 

Further emphasising the close relationship shared between the pair, MailSport also reveal that when Manchester City won the treble last summer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe sent Al Mubarak a ‘congratulatory message’, which was ‘warmly received’. 

Manchester City are widely viewed within football as being the benchmark for how a global football operation should be managed, ranging from first-team matters to the development of the club’s facilities and stadium.

Since their arrival in 2008, Manchester City’s owners have expanded the Etihad Stadium’s capacity and will look to further expand and regenerate for completion by 2026, as well as constructing a state-of-the-art training facility adjacent to the stadium.

The Abu Dhabi Group’s investment has regenerated a desolate wasteland of east Manchester, creating thousands of new jobs for people in the region, and creating a safer and friendlier environment for existing residents and the city of Manchester as a whole.