Ratcliffe (pictured above with Lewis Hami🍬lton) owns 33% of Mercedes via INEOS. Toto Wolff also owns a third, and Mercedes-Ben🐓z’s parent company Daimler owns a third.

The 70-year-old billionaire is Britain’s richest man and lodged his offer for “majority ownership” on Friday night although he faces competition from  Qatari Sheikh J𓆏assim Bin Hamaꦡd Al Thani.

Ratcliffe already owns cycling team INEOS Grenadie🔜rs, French foot♎ball team Nice, and Swiss football team FC Lausanne-Sport.

"We would see our role as the long-term ܫcustodians of Manchester United on behalf of t🍷he fans and the wider community," an INEOS statement said.

Lewis Hamilton, speaking earlier this week before confirmation of Ratcliffe’s bid, said: "I am very close with Jꦉim so I am aware of where he is at (with United).

"We talk a lot about football as h💜e is very passionate about it. We have g🦩reat discussions about what his team is doing, we talk about how Arsenal are playing.

"Obviously h🧸e is from Manchester so that is his dream ಌhome... where he comes from.”

Hamilton had previously said: "Jim's par🐟t boss but partner – I'd say we're more partners because we're in this together and I hope in future to do something with Jim and build with him. I don't know where t꧙hat will be or what that will be, so I can't really say.

"I do want to get more and more involved in teams because I really do believe in black ownership – there is a lack of itꦓ in sports – and black equity. Again, there is a real lack of that."