Ratcliffe ‘wants PSG supremo as Man Utd sporting director if he buys club’

SIR JIM RATCLIFFE wants PSG’s Luis Campos as Manchester United’s sporting director if he buys the club, according to reports.

The British billionaire revealed last month he would “definitely” be keen to purchase the Red Devils should they become available.

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And Mancunian Ratcliffe, who is a lifelong United supporter, is already making plans about recruitment behind the scenes.

According to Le Parisien, the Ineos chief would try and lure Campos from the French giants to take on a similar role at Old Trafford.

United have John Murtough as their first ever football director – with Andy O’Boyle his deputy and Darren Fletcher as technical director.

However, the possibility of landing Campos would be a major coup.

The Portuguese worked as a scout and analyst under Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid before three successful years as Monaco’s sporting director.

He also had a short stint at Lille but took on the position as PSG’s football advisor this summer, where he focuses on “the performance, recruitment and organisational side” of the club.

However, Ratcliffe and United would have to move fast to secure Campos because Chelsea are also interested.

Todd Boehly is said to have offered the 58-year-old a whopping £7million per year – or £135,000 per week – to switch the Parc des Princes for Stamford Bridge and oversee the Blues’ transfer strategy with Graham Potter.

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News of Ratcliffe’s interest in United came when the widely-unpopular Glazer family who own the club were said to be open to selling a minority stake.

Pressure has been mounting for something to give following huge fan protests against the Americans in recent years.

Ratcliffe, 69, grew up on a council estate in Failsworth, Manchester and made his money as CEO of Ineos, the multinational chemical company.

His worth is now said to have dropped from a peak of £15billion to around £6bn and he was ranked 27th in the 2022 Sunday Times Rich List.

The 69-year-old failed in a last-ditch bid to buy Chelsea earlier in May.

But he has plenty of experience in sport and in particular football as the owner of FC Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland and French outfit Nice.

And should Ratcliffe complete a dramatic takeover of United, he could get help from Formula One star Lewis Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion rivalled Boehly’s successful Chelsea bid but revealed he does “want to get more involved” in football and has an existing relationship with Ratcliffe, whose Ineos company sponsors the Mercedes F1 team.

However, as things stand, the Glazers are said to be ignoring Sir Jim’s efforts to buy the 20-time English champions.