Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes bid to buy Nice after talk of potential Chelsea takeover
The 66-year-old has recently moved into the sporting world and last month completed a takeover of cycling's Team Sky
The richest man in Britain, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has made a bid to buy French football club Nice.
A spokesperson for the 66-year-old's petrochemicals company INEOS has confirmed Ratcliffe's interest in the Ligue 1 outfit, who are currently managed by Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
The statement comes after reports claimed Ratcliffe made a £77million bid for Nice in February, though the offer was rejected by the club's owner Chien Lee, the Chinese-American investor who also owns League One's Barnsley.
He is understood to value Nice, who currently sit eighth in Ligue 1, at closer to £100million.
"INEOS confirms that it has expressed an interest in the club and has had exploratory discussions but can say nothing more at this stage," a spokesperson said.
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Ratcliffe, who formed INEOS in 1998, has recently started investing in sport.
He bough Swiss football team Lausanne in 2017, invested £110million in a British challenge for the America's Cup with Sir Ben Ainslie last year and then last month bought cycling's Team Sky and rebranded them as Team Ineos.
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Ratcliffe, who grew up a Manchester United fan, has been linked with a potential takeover of Chelsea, where he has a season ticket.
His interest was first reported last summer amid reports Roman Abramovich, the current owner, could sell Chelsea following issues with obtaining a visa.
Ratcliffe was said last month to retain an interest in the Blues, though Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck recently confirmed Abramovich remains committed to the Stamford Bridge outfit.