Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ruled himself out of the running to buy Liverpool.
Britain’s richest man, CEO of Ineos Group Ltd and owner of French side Nice, recently tried to purchase Chelsea and has held an interest in buying a stake in Manchester United, the club he supports.
Following reports that Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group are inviting offers for the club it purchased in 2010, Ratcliffe and his company have emerged as one possible contender to step in.
But his company Ineos has now ruled itself out of the running, insisting they no longer see value in purchasing a top Premier League team.
Ineos instead insist they will focus their energy on Ligue 1 side Nice, confident they can grow into a consistent domestic challenger to the Qatari-backed Paris Saint-Germain.
‘Our position has developed since the summer and we are now focusing our efforts in Nice and raising our ambitions for the club to make them into a top tier club in France to compete with PSG, a spokesman told
‘This would represent much better value for our investment than buying one of the top tier Premier League clubs.’
Ratcliffe tried to purchase Chelsea earlier this year after Roman Abrahimovich was forced to relinquish control of the London club.
Ratcliffe saw his late bid turned away however as Todd Boehly and his consortium completed their takeover of the Blues.
In August, a spokesman for the 70-year-old, estimated to be worth almost €12billion, suggested there was genuine interest in a move to buy a stake in United with a view to eventually taking full control of the club.
‘If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer, a spokesman said.
‘If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.’
The Glazer family have owned the Premier League giants since 2005 with anger over their presence reaching boiling point this season. But Ratcliffe’s latest stance on investing in top Premier League sides will serve as a major blow for those hoping he could end the Glazer reign.
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