Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking to speed up the process around the ongoing saga that is the Manchester United takeover after reportedly offering the Glazers a "restructured" deal and in a new effort to force through the sale.
United have been owned by the unpopular Americans since their £790m buyout of the club back in 2005, holding control in a period now stretching over 18 years. Their reign in charge, however, has been fraught by a number of protests with fans unhappy at their running of the club.
Nonetheless, the end appeared in sight last November when the Glazers put the club up for sale, with two main bidders coming to the fore. Indeed, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner and founder of INEOS, has put forward a package worth an estimated £5.5bn that would allow the Glazers to retain a minority stake in United.
His main rival - and for many, the outstanding candidate to take charge - Sheikh Jassim has proposed a package worth around £6bn. And with wealthy Qatari backers in his corner, their proposals promise to clear United's debts - thought to be around the £500m mark - as well as invest heavily into both the playing squad and Old Trafford stadium.
Ultimately, however, that did not prevail and reports stating United have since been taken off the market altogether will have irked a vast majority of their supporters.
Indeed, to sum up that anger, a frustrated Gary Neville called out the Glazers for their toxic running of the club and suggesting they were responsible for "suppressing ambition" at United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes new push in Man Utd takeover race
With the process now seemingly pushed back until late October, early November, fans would be forgiven for thinking the process is akin to trying to find the end of a rainbow.
However, in an effort to jolt the Glazers into a response and in a new attempt that could sideline his rival Sheikh Jassim, Bloomberg reports that Ratcliffe has now submitted a new proposal to kickstart his takeover bid.
And while the exact details of that remodeled offer are not disclosed, it is believed Ratcliffe's new proposal will take his offer for the club nearer the £6bn mark.
To that end, it is hoped the Glazers will now have little choice but to accept and cave in to the 70-year-old's offer.
Discussing his interest in United, a club he has supported since a boy, Sir Jim provided a rare interview to discuss the saga.
He told INEOS.TV: "The Manchester United bid would have been unthinkable two or three years ago if we hadn't had some of the experiences - some quite difficult experiences with Lausanne and Nice."
He continued: "You can't really contemplate acquiring a brand like Manchester United and failing because the failure is just far too public and excruciating in a deal like that."
Per the reports, Ratcliffe is working with his advisors and the Raine Group - appointed by the Glazers to oversee the takeover - to address any concerns surrounding his previous offers.
Amid the renewed hopes of a takeover, United's share price on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) were up to $19.36 by the closing bell on Monday afternoon.
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