Sir Jim Ratcliffe reveals new transfer policy at Manchester United - ‘I would rather sign the next Mbappe’

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ruled out Manchester United bidding for the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, suggesting the club's focus will instead be on discovering and developing young talent.

The Ineos chairman recently acquired a minority stake in United and has taken over football operations as he looks to bring success back to Old Trafford.

The club have spent big money on transfers since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 but that has yet to yield another Premier League title, with Ratcliffe eager to implement a different recruitment strategy going forward.

Asked about signing Real Madrid and England superstar Bellingham on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast, Ratcliffe said: “He is a great footballer. It’s not where our focus is, the solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players.

"They have done that, if you look at the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players.

“The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club.

“And make sure we get recruitment right; it is such a vital part of football today.”

Ratcliffe, who also owns cycling team Ineos Grenadiers, was then given the hypothetical choice of signing either two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar or Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.

“I would rather sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success,” Ratcliffe responded.

“It’s not that clever buying Mbappe. Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappe or next Bellingham or next Roy Keane.”

While there haven’t been any new additions to the squad since his arrival, Ratcliffe has already made his impact felt behind the scenes.

The 71-year-old has brought in a new CEO in Omar Berrada, the former Chief Football Operations Officer for crosstown rivals Manchester City, while Sir Dave Brailsford is also heavily involved in the project.

It is also believed that the club is in negotiations with Newcastle United over hiring Dan Ashworth as their new sporting director.

Ratcliffe acknowledges there is no quick fix to United’s problems but is confident that with “all the right people in the right boxes”, the results will follow.

“The two people who are most focused on it would be Dave and myself, in terms of how we resolve it all,” Ratcliffe added.

"We’ve now got Omar Berrada of course, our new CEO from Manchester City, who is still on gardening leave at the moment, he’ll be a big part of it. But it’s Dave and myself really.

"You have to believe with Manchester United, if we get all the details right, all the right people in the right boxes, doing the right things in the right environment, that sporting elite environment that the results will drop out the bottom.

"Those things are not right at Manchester United today as we’ve said very clearly. It’s not a light switch, it’s a much longer road to travel because there’s so many aspects to it.”

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