Revealed: Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'raised prospect' of Man Utd 'tempting' Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos to help fund £2 billion Old Trafford rebuild

INEOS chief Ratcliffe, who is Britain’s richest man, acquired a 27.7 per cent stake in the Red Devils when completing a £1.2bn ($1.5bn) deal with the Glazer family in February 2024. He has a big task on his hands funding the ambitious plans for Premier League heavyweights.

They include a serious upgrade, or complete rebuild, of Old Trafford, while money is also required for further additions on the playing side in upcoming transfer windows. Ratcliffe has increased his stake in United, but the Glazers are said to be wary of allowing him to gain more control by pumping his own personal fortune into the club.

The Athletic claims that Ratcliffe had been keen at one stage on finding “private finance” for the Red Devils, helping to cover mounting costs, with it suggested that the richest men on the planet – Tesla chief Musk and Amazon mogul Bezos – could be sounded out.

Ratcliffe felt that Musk and Bezos - who boast net worths of $486bn (£388bn) and $246bn (£196bn) respectively - “might be tempted by the appeal of United”, although there is no indication that the mooted proposal ever gained any kind of traction.

United are also said to have held exploratory talks with Bank of America about borrowing more money, but for now Ratcliffe and Co continue to implement a number of controversial cost-cutting measures that are intended to put United on a more stable footing in financial and sporting senses.