Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes ‘immediate’ transfer demand of Glazers as Americans ready decision

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid for a majority stake in Manchester United includes a demand for immediate control of transfers, it has been claimed.

While Sheikh Jassim has reportedly offered £5billion to buy 100 per cent of the club, Ratcliffe was only initially thought to want the Glazer’s 69 per cent controlling stake.

While a request for control of transfers is unlikely to be accepted before the Glazers have completed a sale, both Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim are understood to want influence as soon as the offer is accepted.

While Ratcliffe is focused on immediate transfer dealings, Sheikh Jassim is said to want an even wider oversight of club affairs. Under the Qatari’s request, the Glazer family would be running any potential financial commitment past the banking executive as soon as a deal is agreed.

One Telegraph source was dismissive of whether said requests had merit, given full control of club dealing could be a “legal and theoretical impossibility prior to a deal being closed.”

However, demands of that ilk are not uncommon in major acquisitions when there is expected to be a significant period between a preliminary agreement and the formal closing of terms.

Indeed, corporate specialists told the Telegraph that buyers can ask for some approval rights to ensure a company’s accounts are not drained before completion.