Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes Nice player available for €15m amid strong Man United and Liverpool transfer links

Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes Nice player available for €15m amid strong Man United and Liverpool transfer links

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly made a Nice player available for €15 million ahead of the Manchester United minority owner’s first official transfer window at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe and INEOS agreed a deal to take a 25 per cent share of United from the Glazer family, although they could not be involved with the club during the January window as the deal had still to be ratified by the FA and the Premier League.

Now, amid a difficult end to the season which has seen United only win two Premier League games since the beginning of March, the British billionaire has some key decisions to make.

Chief amongst them will be the future of manager Erik ten Hag, who has come under heavy pressure over results in recent weeks despite a lengthy injury list.

The club will also be keen to strengthen, with the manager himself publicly confirming his desire to bring in a striker to compete with Rasmus Hojlund.

Ten Hag, if he is still in post, may make a fresh swoop for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, who he tried to bring to Old Trafford last summer. The French club are majority owned by Ratcliffe and INEOS.

talkSPORT claimed in March that the France centre-back, formerly of Barcelona, would be available for £40 million this summer.

But another Nice player United have been linked with is midfielder Khephren Thuram, who was of interest to Liverpool last year before they completed deals for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Now, French outlet Nice-Matin claim that the French club could be tempted to sell for a fee of just €15 million this summer.

A deal may be challenging to get over the line, though, as Nice are still in contention to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Four teams qualify for Europe’s top competition from France – the fourth of those entering the qualification stage.

Nice are currently in fifth place with two games to play, but have a game in hand on third-placed Lille and fourth-placed Brest, who are four points ahead of them.

Thuram, 23, has been ever-present for Nice when available, with only injury and suspension causing him to miss seven games. He also made his debut for the France national team during the recent international break