Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS, Manchester United’s minority owner, is exploring the sale of French side Nice.
New York-based investment bank Lazard has been tasked with finding a buyer for the Ligue 1 club and is looking for a price of €250m ($283.2m, £213m at current exchange rates).
Any potential sale of Nice is complicated by the uncertainty surrounding the Ligue 1 broadcast deal. It was confirmed on Friday that the league’s deal with DAZN has collapsed, with the streaming platform ending the four-year contract after just one season.
Advertisement
As it stands, French football does not have a domestic TV deal for next season and Ligue 1 teams have been told by the French football’s financial regulator not to include media revenue in their budget projections.
INEOS agreed a deal to purchase 100 per cent of Nice for €100m from the club’s previous Chinese-American ownership group, led by Chien Lee and Paul Conway, in 2019. The petrochemical firm acquired a minority stake in Manchester United in February 2024, with the Glazers remaining majority owners of the club but INEOS controlling football operations.
INEOS has invested significantly in Nice, with accounting showing it has put in €216million ($245m) in shares, which does not include other loans they may have made. However, INEOS’ ownership has not always been hugely popular with the Nice fanbase, who have viewed themselves as an afterthought in the company’s multi-club model.
Speaking in March, Ratcliffe said he did not enjoy watching Nice due to the standard of football and conceded the club had been running successfully this season without the input of INEOS.
“I don’t particularly enjoy going to watch Nice because there are some good players, but the level of football is not high enough for me to get excited,” Ratcliffe told The Times.
“The best season that Nice has had is this one, where we’ve not been allowed to get involved because of multi-club ownership rules. They’ve been so much better without our interference!”
Nice are sixth in Ligue 1 and on Friday beat league champions Paris Saint-Germain to end their hopes of becoming the first Ligue 1 team to go an entire league season unbeaten.
When both United and Nice qualified for the 2024-25 Europa League, UEFA rules required a temporary arrangement which saw a “blind trust” operating Nice. As a result, Nice describes neither INEOS or Ratcliffe having “control or decisive influence” at the club. This was only a temporary solution to enable Nice to play in the same UEFA club competition as Manchester United this season.
Advertisement
Lazard declined to comment when approached by The Athletic and INEOS has not responded to a request for comment.
The potential sale of its stake in Nice follows INEOS Britannia, Ratcliffe’s company’s sailing team, withdrawing its challenge for the next America’s Cup, having split with former team principal and skipper Sir Ben Ainslie in January.
It was also announced in April that INEOS had settled a sponsorship dispute with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) over the pair’s performance partnership.
INEOS also owns Swiss club Lausanne and has further sporting ventures outside of football, owning one-third of the successful Mercedes F1 team and the INEOS Grenadiers Tour de France-winning cycling team.
(Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
How to watch the 2025 Heisman Trophy ceremony: channel, where to stream and more
ESPN's new streaming service is divided into two tiers: the ESPN Unlimited package and the ESPN Select package. For $29.99, the ESPN Unlimited package includes access to all of ESPN's linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, and ESPN Deportes, as well as access to programming on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX. That means fans will get coverage of more than 47,000 live events each year, on-demand replays, original programming and more. Right now, for a limited time, you can bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney+ and Hulu and pay $29.99/month for 12 months — that's like getting those other services free for a year! Even if you're a current subscriber to Disney+, Hulu or even the bundle, you can still upgrade to this great deal. Not interested in a bundle? ESPN Select (also referred to as ESPN+) is still […]
Soukalová smeká před Charvátovou: Také jsem zažila lavinu kritiky, ukázala velkou sílu
Při odpoledním semifinále českých reprezentantek proti Finsku budete vhazovat čestné buly. Jaký máte vztah k florbalu?Mám ho moc ráda, znám pár lidí, kteří ho hrají. Problém je v tom, že kdybych měla vybrat sport, který mi fakt nejde, tak je to florbal. Možná mi chyběl postřeh, ale když jsem ho hrála na škole, přišel mi strašně rychlý a já míček vůbec nestíhala. Takže obdivuju lidi, kteří jsou na tom výrazně lépe, hezky se na ně kouká.Znáte se třeba s reprezentantkou Vanessou Rebeccou Keprtovou, jejíž maminka je biatlonovou rozhodčí.Pamatuju si celou rodinu, vždycky mi fandili. Vanessku i jejího bráchu si vybavuju jako malé děti, teď už jsou dospělí, neskutečné, jak to letí…Foto: (C) Český biatlon, Petr Slavík České biatlonistky (zleva) Eva Puskarčíková, Gabriela Soukalová, Lucie Charvátová a Veronika Vítková po triumfu ve štafetě v Presque Isle v roce 2016.Před českým zápasem ještě můžete zhlédnout štafetu biatlonistek v Hochfilzenu. Co říkáte […]
Vasco e Rayan chegam a acordo por novo contrato com multa de 80 milhões de euros
Rayan comemora gol. Foto: Alamy.O Vasco da Gama anunciou a renovação de contrato com o atacante Rayan até o final de 2028. O jovem de 19 anos, que tem se destacado cada vez mais, recebeu um significativo aumento salarial e agora possui uma multa rescisória de 80 milhões de euros. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEAs negociações, que começaram no meio de 2025, foram finalizadas no dia seguinte após a vitória do Vasco por 2 a 1 sobre o Fluminense nas semifinais da Copa do Brasil. Na partida, Rayan marcou o primeiro gol, consolidando ainda mais sua importância na equipe. O outro gol foi anotado por Vegetti.LEIA MAIS: Vegetti marca no fim, Vasco vira para cima do Fluminense e sai em vantagem na semifinalLEIA MAIS: Zubeldia vê Rayan como fator de desequilíbrio do Vasco para a vitória no clássicoIdentidade com o Vasco e grande […]
Vasco e Rayan chegam a acordo por novo contrato com multa de 80 milhões de euros
Rayan comemora gol. Foto: Alamy.O Vasco da Gama anunciou a renovação de contrato com o atacante Rayan até o final de 2028. O jovem de 19 anos, que tem se destacado cada vez mais, recebeu um significativo aumento salarial e agora possui uma multa rescisória de 80 milhões de euros. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEAs negociações, que começaram no meio de 2025, foram finalizadas no dia seguinte após a vitória do Vasco por 2 a 1 sobre o Fluminense nas semifinais da Copa do Brasil. Na partida, Rayan marcou o primeiro gol, consolidando ainda mais sua importância na equipe. O outro gol foi anotado por Vegetti.LEIA MAIS: Vegetti marca no fim, Vasco vira para cima do Fluminense e sai em vantagem na semifinalLEIA MAIS: Zubeldia vê Rayan como fator de desequilíbrio do Vasco para a vitória no clássicoIdentidade com o Vasco e grande […]
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs: How to watch the 2025 NBA Cup semifinal
The Emirates NBA Cup in-season basketball tournament has been an NBA staple for two seasons now, and the previous two winners, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks, have been shut out. That means we'll see a first-time winner in next week's Championship final. This Saturday's semifinals feature an afternoon Eastern conference matchup between the New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Western conference semifinal between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs at 9 p.m. ET.The Spurs picked up a 132-119 victory over the Lakers, the inaugural NBA Cup champs, to advance to the semis, while the Thunder posted their 16th straight win at Wednesday's quarterfinal, blowing past the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to earn their spot.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementToday's semifinals and the Championship Final on Tuesday, Dec. 16, will be held at T-Mobile […]
How to watch the Army vs. Navy football game today: Kickoff time, channel, where to stream and more
DirecTV is currently offering its Choice tier (typically $108+/month with fees) for just $72.98 (after fees) for your first month. DirecTV's Choice tier gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NBC, NFL Network, ESPN, The CW, ABC, CBS and Fox, plus ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty more local Regional Sports Networks. (If you want to avoid paying the RSN fees, the Entertainment Tier has plenty of channels you can catch NFL games on, too.) Whichever package you choose, you'll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+'s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited. The best part is that you can currently try all this out for free for 5 days. So if you're interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for football season, but aren't ready to commit, we recommend starting with […]
Related
How to watch the 2025 Heisman Trophy ceremony: channel, where to stream and more
ESPN's new streaming service is divided into two tiers: the ESPN Unlimited package and the ESPN Select package. For $29.99, the ESPN Unlimited package includes access to all of ESPN's linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, and ESPN Deportes, as well as access to programming on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX. That means fans will get coverage of more than 47,000 live events each year, on-demand replays, original programming and more. Right now, for a limited time, you can bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney+ and Hulu and pay $29.99/month for 12 months — that's like getting those other services free for a year! Even if you're a current subscriber to Disney+, Hulu or even the bundle, you can still upgrade to this great deal. Not interested in a bundle? ESPN Select (also referred to as ESPN+) is still […]
Soukalová smeká před Charvátovou: Také jsem zažila lavinu kritiky, ukázala velkou sílu
Při odpoledním semifinále českých reprezentantek proti Finsku budete vhazovat čestné buly. Jaký máte vztah k florbalu?Mám ho moc ráda, znám pár lidí, kteří ho hrají. Problém je v tom, že kdybych měla vybrat sport, který mi fakt nejde, tak je to florbal. Možná mi chyběl postřeh, ale když jsem ho hrála na škole, přišel mi strašně rychlý a já míček vůbec nestíhala. Takže obdivuju lidi, kteří jsou na tom výrazně lépe, hezky se na ně kouká.Znáte se třeba s reprezentantkou Vanessou Rebeccou Keprtovou, jejíž maminka je biatlonovou rozhodčí.Pamatuju si celou rodinu, vždycky mi fandili. Vanessku i jejího bráchu si vybavuju jako malé děti, teď už jsou dospělí, neskutečné, jak to letí…Foto: (C) Český biatlon, Petr Slavík České biatlonistky (zleva) Eva Puskarčíková, Gabriela Soukalová, Lucie Charvátová a Veronika Vítková po triumfu ve štafetě v Presque Isle v roce 2016.Před českým zápasem ještě můžete zhlédnout štafetu biatlonistek v Hochfilzenu. Co říkáte […]
Vasco e Rayan chegam a acordo por novo contrato com multa de 80 milhões de euros
Rayan comemora gol. Foto: Alamy.O Vasco da Gama anunciou a renovação de contrato com o atacante Rayan até o final de 2028. O jovem de 19 anos, que tem se destacado cada vez mais, recebeu um significativo aumento salarial e agora possui uma multa rescisória de 80 milhões de euros. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEAs negociações, que começaram no meio de 2025, foram finalizadas no dia seguinte após a vitória do Vasco por 2 a 1 sobre o Fluminense nas semifinais da Copa do Brasil. Na partida, Rayan marcou o primeiro gol, consolidando ainda mais sua importância na equipe. O outro gol foi anotado por Vegetti.LEIA MAIS: Vegetti marca no fim, Vasco vira para cima do Fluminense e sai em vantagem na semifinalLEIA MAIS: Zubeldia vê Rayan como fator de desequilíbrio do Vasco para a vitória no clássicoIdentidade com o Vasco e grande […]
Vasco e Rayan chegam a acordo por novo contrato com multa de 80 milhões de euros
Rayan comemora gol. Foto: Alamy.O Vasco da Gama anunciou a renovação de contrato com o atacante Rayan até o final de 2028. O jovem de 19 anos, que tem se destacado cada vez mais, recebeu um significativo aumento salarial e agora possui uma multa rescisória de 80 milhões de euros. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEAs negociações, que começaram no meio de 2025, foram finalizadas no dia seguinte após a vitória do Vasco por 2 a 1 sobre o Fluminense nas semifinais da Copa do Brasil. Na partida, Rayan marcou o primeiro gol, consolidando ainda mais sua importância na equipe. O outro gol foi anotado por Vegetti.LEIA MAIS: Vegetti marca no fim, Vasco vira para cima do Fluminense e sai em vantagem na semifinalLEIA MAIS: Zubeldia vê Rayan como fator de desequilíbrio do Vasco para a vitória no clássicoIdentidade com o Vasco e grande […]
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs: How to watch the 2025 NBA Cup semifinal
The Emirates NBA Cup in-season basketball tournament has been an NBA staple for two seasons now, and the previous two winners, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks, have been shut out. That means we'll see a first-time winner in next week's Championship final. This Saturday's semifinals feature an afternoon Eastern conference matchup between the New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Western conference semifinal between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs at 9 p.m. ET.The Spurs picked up a 132-119 victory over the Lakers, the inaugural NBA Cup champs, to advance to the semis, while the Thunder posted their 16th straight win at Wednesday's quarterfinal, blowing past the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to earn their spot.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementToday's semifinals and the Championship Final on Tuesday, Dec. 16, will be held at T-Mobile […]
How to watch the Army vs. Navy football game today: Kickoff time, channel, where to stream and more
DirecTV is currently offering its Choice tier (typically $108+/month with fees) for just $72.98 (after fees) for your first month. DirecTV's Choice tier gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NBC, NFL Network, ESPN, The CW, ABC, CBS and Fox, plus ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty more local Regional Sports Networks. (If you want to avoid paying the RSN fees, the Entertainment Tier has plenty of channels you can catch NFL games on, too.) Whichever package you choose, you'll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+'s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited. The best part is that you can currently try all this out for free for 5 days. So if you're interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for football season, but aren't ready to commit, we recommend starting with […]
Be the first to leave a comment