After almost a full year of uncertainty, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly set to finalise his purchase 25% stake in Manchester United Football Club, and there are already some serious rumblings about big names he might be bringing on board.
While full confirmation of the purchase is yet to be verified, Sky News is reporting that after months of talks between Man United and Ratcliffe’s INEOS group, the Failsworth-born businessman and the current Glazer ownership are soon to agree on a $33-a-share deal.
It said that Sir Jim and his INEOS Sports arm plan to acquire 25% of both the listed A-shares and the B-shares, which carry greater voting rights on the board and, at present, are held exclusively by the Glazer family
Although this partial purchase will obviously see the Glazers still firmly intertwined with the club, the majority of fans will no doubt be pleased to hear that there is finally some movement and relinquishing of control after 18 years of unrest.
BREAKING: Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS Sports could announce a deal to buy their 25% of Manchester United today 🚨 pic.twitter.com/eIgLzAakuJ
Ratcliffe’s stake in United could be confirmed any day now.
Sources have claimed that the current owners are keen to complete the deal before the Thanksgiving holiday with some of those close to the deal suggesting that it could be wrapped up as soon as Monday, 20 November with a provisional announcement even more imminent.
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In addition to the estimated $1 billion the petrochemical tycoon will be spending to acquire his stake in the club, it is thought that he will also be setting aside roughly £245m to improve the club’s infrastructure — updating Old Trafford being a top priority.
Former frontrunner in the potential United takeover, Shiekh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani, also promised to redevelop the stadium as well as huge investments in the squad and training complexes, all whilst wiping the club’s debt.
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Although Ratcliffe’s initial outlay won’t come anywhere near the Qatari royal’s state-funded vision for the club, having walked away from the deal after failing to meet the Glazers’ ever-changing asking price, the 71-year-old has insisted the purchase of shares will be with his own money and that he will not add any more to United’s current borrowings (roughly £969.6m back in March).
Moreover, perhaps one of the most interesting parts about Ratcliffe’s prospective share purchase is the names that are already being linked with the club should the deal go through.
After CEO Richard Arnold left the club earlier this week, with general counsel Patrick Stewart (not that one) stepping in as interim as they search for a full-time replacement, there is now lots of talk about further shake-ups amongst the board.
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According to The Telegraph, not only is Sir Alex Ferguson set to consult and help guide Sir Jim during his overhaul of the club but names that have been floated as a potential new sporting director include Spurs’ former head of recruitment Paul Mitchell and, believe it or not, football legend Paolo Maldini.
Only time will tell whether there’s any real substance in Maldini’s consideration or whether he’s simply on United’s list but despite being sacked from his role at AC Milan back in June, it would still be a big name with some serious pedigree to help kick off Ratcliffe’s impending era.
While Freedman is thought to be admired by Sir Alex Ferguson, it is understood that Atalanta’s Lee Congerton, former AC Milan pair Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara, and Atletico Madrid’s Andrea Berta are also under consideration.
Where to watch the 2026 Six Nations in Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
It’s that time again, the Six Nations is just around the corner, and we can practically taste the Guinness already — that being said, we thought it only right to put together a list of where to watch it and enjoy those pints.
With the tournament kicking off on Thursday, 5 February, we don’t want you scrambling around to find places showing the Six Nations in Manchester; we just want you to sit back and enjoy the games.
So, without further ado, here is our list of the 16 places to watch this year’s Six Nations here in Manchester city centre.
Don’t worry, you’re in good hands.
The best places to watch this year’s Six Nations in Manchester
Speaking of Guinness, as far as Manchester Irish bars go, there’s a very strong argument to be made that there isn’t any better than Mulligans.
A go-to for sports fans and punters in general, not to mention Guinness’ second home in Manchester, this traditional Irish pub, sandwiched just across the road from Spinningfields, will be showing the games and promising live music every night. It’s always good craic in here.
You don’t book here – you just keep your fingers crossed for a table, but now with the added floor upstairs, you’ve got a better chance than ever.
Back once again following the biggest in the whole country, Freight Island are teaming up with Jubel JUBEL Beer to bring another massive fan zone to Depot Mayfield – the question is, will it be even better vibes than last time around?
They’ve done this for a few years now, and certainly it’s always got bigger, and not only more extensive packages available to book, but plenty of room for walk-ins across the multiple rooms, the big warehouse might just be the perfect spot.
Best of all, general admission is completely free, meaning no one has to miss out on the action.
3. Tib Street Tavern – Northern Quarter
No list of Manchester sports bars would be complete without Tib Street Tavern, one of the most popular in NQ or the city centre in general, for that matter.
With recently refurbished booths for you and all your mates to pile into, massive screens filling the walls and solid grub, this place is packed out noon till night, so you’d best book whilst you still can.
You can call them up on 0161 834 1600 for bookings of six or more, but you can still try for a walk-in.
One of the biggest, best and busiest sports bars on this list, BOX on Deansgate brings a real sense of the American sports bar culture with shuffleboard, giant steins of booze, banging food and TV on every wall — including a big 360-jumbotron screen so nobody misses a second.
With all that in mind, it makes for the perfect place for all fans to come along and watch the Six Nations.
Next up, another Irish bar and a chain that still somehow feels like it’s one of ours, even though we know full well that it isn’t. Nevertheless, we love a trip to O’Neills in the Printworks, especially when there’s live sports on the box.
You don’t have to be a Celtic native, ex-pat or Ireland fan to watch the game here, of course, just bring a healthy dose of positivity and a willingness to drink plenty of good Guinness.
See you at the bar, I guess, but we don’t want to hear any lazy attempts at an Irish accent like we did last year (yes, really – it was painful).
Once again, whether you bleed green and gold or not, it doesn’t matter: Kiely’s is a prime location not only to watch the Six Nations in Manchester, but for any live sport and for a solid pint of the black stuff, for that matter.
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Yet another place for Guinness lovers and showing live sport all week-round before the rowdy live music kicks off in the evenings, we’ve spent many a night in here and can heartily recommend it for the rugby and good vibes in general.
We can’t think of many better places for a tipsy sing-song after the game than here; to be honest, you can’t go wrong with pretty much any Irish bar, so here:
For number seven, what better place to slot in than the seven screens over at The Seven Oaks? Tucked away on Nicholas Street just off Mosley St and round the corner from Chinatown, this place is great for watching all manner of sports, so of course they’re showing the Six Nations as well.
This place is always packed with plenty of regulars on matchdays and is even the local for the Northern Spurs fans, and even the Manchester branch of St Pauli Supporters Club from Germany. It’s also known for serving bartenders till late.
One of Manchester longest standing free-house sports bars, having first opened its doors all the way back in 1824, it’s known for having some of the friendliest pub staff you’ll find anywhere in town, as well as now hosting regular live stand-up, music and even the odd theatre production these days. Give it a go.
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8. The Waldorf – Piccadilly
Now, if you’re looking for something right next to the station so you don’t have to walk far for your first pint or, equally, can make a quick exit if the result doesn’t go your way, The Waldorf is the one for you.
Spanning across two floors, with the upstairs not just home to MCFC’s supporters ‘The Cityzen Arms’ but also regularly dedicated to big rugby fan bookings, you’ll catch many a face watching the sport here most weekends.
Again, it fills up quickly, so bag yourself a table while you can HERE.
Located just off Oxford Road Corridor, Brickhouse Social continues to cater to sports fans in the city centre, and its fan zones come tournament time just keep getting bigger and better.
With three floors, including a rooftop terrace, solid slices of pizza up for grabs and plenty of pool tables to keep you busy in between the ruck, this place has everything you need.
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Boasting a total of 12 screens and a state-of-the-art sound system for live entertainment and the club nights downstairs in Kable, this might be one of the best places for atmosphere in Manchester when it comes to summer sports. Book your table at [email protected] or on 0161 236 4899.
Another all-time classic Manchester sports bar, The Directors’ Box, just off St Peter’s Square in the city centre, has plenty of pints and an absolutely mint menu full of sharing platters perfect for watching the game with your mates.
We’ll be straight with you, it isn’t the biggest place for the amount of people that try and get in — it’s a local favourite for a reason — so we’d advise you book your Six Nations table now if you can.
No one likes being the one who suggested a place only to not get in. Trust us, we’ve been that person far too many times – the worst.
We’ve already had a couple of Irish bars on the list, what harm could another do? Third time’s the charm, as they say.
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Mulligans, Kiely’s and O’Sheas: the holy trinity of Manc Irish pubs and just like the other two, this boozer on the corner of Princess Street has a brilliant atmosphere, especially when the rugby’s on.
With great Guinness, classic Irish snacks like Taytos, a solid food menu and live music most nights, what more could you ask for? To be honest, at this point, we might as well just give all the places decked out in green – you won’t go far wrong with any the many mint Irish bars in Manchester.
Not a bad place to go Walkabout… See what we did there?
In all seriousness, the massive pub, club and local nightlife institution has plenty of food, pints and screens to cater to the hordes of punters, and it’s one of the last proper holdouts of Printworks classic lineup following the unfortunate closure of Bierkeller and Shooters (RIP).
Better still, with its Australian roots, there’s a real love for rugby in here, whether you’re a Wallabies, England fan or otherwise. Book your place HERE.
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Credit: The Manc Group
13. The Grosvenor – Oxford Road Corridor (formerly The Footage)
Another student favourite and budget-friendly venue, we spent many a uni day watching live sport in The Footage, and we have to say, no matter how many years and tournaments have gone by, there’s nothing quite like a fever-pitch rugby crowd in this place.
It might have changed name after a short hiatus from the busy student strip, but the prices in here are still great, and it’s looking bigger and better than ever. Big tellies, pool tables, beer pong – they’ve got you sorted from noon until night.
You can, of cours,e book a table if you want to secure the perfect spot, but this place always has plenty of rooms to try your luck with a walk-in.
The penultimate round on this fixture list, not only is this one of the cheapest places for a night in town, possibly the country, but it’s yet another prime location to watch the sport.
It might be very student-heavy most nights of the week, but with a large interior, huge outdoor area with coverage, as well as plenty of value for money grub and bevs up for grabs, you can’t go wrong with the old stomping grounds.
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You are never—we repeat, never too old for Courtyar,d and it NEVER disappoints when the game is on.
‘The Brotherhood of Pastimes and Pursuits’ is another tried and tested favourite come any matchday, and the team over there does a great job of building a proper atmosphere across their two floors. You can tell how much they love sports from the original posters they create for each tournament alone.
It’s a great post-work spot any day of the week, let alone when there are big events on like this. Food, pints, pool, table tennis and more. 10/10, no notes from us.
Not a bad place to love you and leave you to enjoy the Six Nations this year. Walk-ins are welcome, but you’re best reserving your table HERE.
So, if you’re still wondering where to watch the 2026 Six Nations in Manchester, that should be plenty of options for now. It’s one of the biggest competitions on the sporting calendar, and we don’t plan on missing a single second.
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It may still be a bit nippy this time of year, but we’ve never been ones to let the weather put us off going out and having a good time.
Manchester City youth Sverre Nypan returns from Championship loan
Danny Jones
Young midfielder Sverre Nypan is returning to Manchester City this January transfer window.
Man City had a fairly busy window, both in terms of new arrivals and outgoings – not least of all due to somewhat of an injury crisis along their backline – which also involved a fair few youth loanees recalled and/or sent back on other spells.
While the big stories were obviously the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth and Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, another move that has been confirmed before close on deadline day is Nypan being recalled from his loan in the Championship.
The Norwegian international, whose senior chapter is only just beginning, has spent this season on loan at Middlesbrough, who currently sit joint first in the second-tier table, are level on clean sheets with nine kept across the 20 games so far this campaign, and have the second-best goal difference (18).
Not only is that nearly a shutout nearly every other game, but while things haven’t quite gone the 19-year-old’s way, he did show promise in parts when played by head coach Kim Hellberg.
Still clearly a highly-rated prospect, with Boro fans stating that he showed “real glimpses of quality” even despite being thrown into one of the most physical leagues in the world, and perhaps too soon in his career, there’s definitely a player there.
More of an offensive-minded player, the Eliteserien academy product clearly has potential to be built on, but it remains to be seen what his level is right now, at least when it comes to English football.
City and their supporters certainly seem to think so, too, as while some are expecting him to go back out on a deal somewhere else, others think now could be a good time to give him some minutes in the wider first-team setup.
With Pep Guardiola’s squad still in all four possible competitions in 2025/26, he could be a useful rotation option – especially in the remaining domestic cup games.
It has now been confirmed that he has been given the number 41 shirt, so plenty are now expecting him to stay and add some more defensive strength in depth.
Nypan was signed by the City Football Group (CFG) from Rosenborg last year for a reported £12.5 million, but went on to start just three games for the North East side, and it has now been confirmed that what was supposed to be a full-term contract was mutually terminated by both teams.
With literally just hours left of the winter window, it now looks most likely that he will stay and continue his development with Pep, who has certainly given youngsters a chance and sometimes deploys them in alternative and often even unexpected positions. Could Nypan be used as an auxiliary defender?
However, there is always the chance of a late twist when it comes to transfers, and some have speculated that he could be sent to another CFG franchise.
Would you like to see him stay at the club and gradually work his way into the picture, Blues?