Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to establish new 'sporting division' at Manchester United

It is understood that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is intending to establish a new football operations division at Manchester United, contingent on the approval of his acquisition of a 25% stake in the club.

An official statement regarding Ratcliffe's purchase may be released this week, a year to the day after the current owners, the Glazer family, declared their intention to 'explore strategic alternatives' for the club.

Ratcliffe is poised to purchase stake and inject £245m into United's infrastructure. Additionally, his acquisition will give him control over the club's sporting operations. It's been officially announced that chief executive Richard Arnold is stepping down from his role as part of these developments.

Last Wednesday saw the confirmation of Arnold's departure, with Patrick Stewart filling the role on a temporary basis while also maintaining his current general counsel duties. Arnold, who took over the role in February 2022 after Ed Woodward left, faced numerous off-field challenges.

90min has been informed that Jean-Claude Blanc, formerly of Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, is likely to be made the new CEO as part of Ratcliffe's plan.

Blanc is renowned for bringing Juventus back to the top of Serie A after the 2006 Calciopoli scandal and subsequent relegation, while also playing a key role in the strategy to relocate to a new stadium.

The 60-year-old spent 11 years in Paris, where he helped turn PSG from a team struggling to keep up with Europe's best into a leading global football brand and a commercial powerhouse. In 2022, Blanc joined INEOS as chief executive of INEOS Sport, where he was tasked with overseeing the company's broad sports portfolio.

The expectation is that Blanc will be recruited by Ratcliffe for the CEO role, which will not be the only appointment.

Following this, 90min believes it is plausible that a new sporting director and additional roles could soon be introduced. The plan is to develop a new football department at United, similar to Chelsea’s model, but smaller and less comprehensive.

Various candidates are being considered for the role of sporting director. The club's current football director, John Murtough, is predicted to leave once Ratcliffe has taken charge of operations.

90min has learned that Michael Edwards, the former Liverpool sporting director, is not being considered for a role at United. Instead, several other potential candidates are being evaluated. These include Lee Congerton and Dougie Freedman.

Reports suggest other potential candidates could include Milan legend Paolo Maldini or Brentford technical director Lee Dykes. Following Ratcliffe's takeover, further appointments could be forthcoming.

90min understands that Paul Mitchell remains the preferred choice. Mitchell, the former director of Monaco, RB Leipzig and Tottenham, has long been Ratcliffe's leading candidate.

In July 2022, Mitchell publicly addressed United's circumstances while at Monaco.

He stated that Manchester United needed a blueprint for the future and that despite hard moments, consistent decision-making would yield good results. He suggested adopting a long-term strategy, like Manchester City and Liverpool, would lead to sustainable success.

'I think that's the biggest thing for Manchester United; putting down their identity of what they want to be today, but most crucially what they want to be in five years' time, and where they want to be, and what they want to look like; from everything from young players, to the style of play, to the whole culture in Manchester United.'