TIME FOR MBAPPE! How Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans on shock Man United transfer revolution with £150m PSG star priority for January transfer window

TIME FOR MBAPPE! How Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans on shock Man United transfer revolution with £150m PSG star priority for January transfer window

overhauling failing transfer strategy and lead a revolution
With footballing matters soon to be under his control, the boyhood fan has big plans to put in place

At Manchester United, that figure is the transfer outlay spent on new arrivals, according to CIES Football Observatory, since 2014 – a mammoth splurge that has produced arguably just Bruno Fernandes as the one signing who can be regarded as a success.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who spent less when acquiring a 25 per cent stake in United, has seen enough.

Some of the best coaches in world football have thrown money at trying to fix United’s rotten form, but ill-fitting talented stars have come in and flunked, leaving the sleeping giant firmly in its slumber.

Ratcliffe knows that cannot go on. His focus as he looks to make his mark on his boyhood team is to overhaul the club’s transfer approach to stop the wastage endemic at Old Trafford for too long.

Fans hoping for a Kylian Mbappe-type blockbuster January signing need to think again – this time, things are going to be done properly.

Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana is a long-term United target, while Roony Bardghji is also still hot on everyone’s lips

A side who have already lost 12 matches this term in all competitions could always accommodate some fresh faces.

Despite spending hundreds of millions of reinforcements, 35-year-old Jonny Evans has been a regular starter in defence, Casemiro’s decline has left a gaping void in midfield, while United’s frontline, remarkably, has not scored a single home league goal between them all season with Antony, their second most expensive signing ever, looking especially out of his depth.

Working out what to do with the troubled Brazilian, as well Jadon Sancho, who is still training alone at United’s academy facilities after his public falling out with Erik ten Hag, are high on Ratcliffe’s agenda.

Selling one, or either – with Saudi Arabian clubs eyeing a January bid for Sancho – could free up some cash for Ratcliffe to at least revitalise a struggling dressing room.

The Manchester-born billionaire is not expected to have his feet under the desk for at least another six to eight weeks, but he has been in “constant dialogue” with the Glazers family owners.

Ratcliffe will not stop Todibo joining Spurs despite Man United interest
Ratcliffe will not stop Todibo joining Spurs despite Man United interest

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Two figures Ratcliffe knows well could follow the INEOS chairman to Manchester.

Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana is a long-term United target, while another player on the club’s radar is Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, a Ratcliffe employee already but one Tottenham are very keen on.

Roony Bardghji, the teenager who broke United hearts in a chastening November defeat to FC Copenhagen, is also still hot on everyone’s lips at Old Trafford.

A seismic shift in mindset, however, is the main priority. There are plenty of weaknesses all over the pitch to resolve, but until there is a more measured approach to how they conduct transfers, spending will be curtailed.

Ratcliffe will be part of a three-person committee overseeing the football side of the club alongside his right-hand man at INEOS, Sir Dave Brailsford, and one of the six Glazer family siblings who retain a majority stake, Joel.

Brailsford will lead a transfer policy audit after Ratcliffe identified the problem area. This process has already begun, but insiders stress it will take time to complete, given the myriad of incompetence at all levels within the United setup.

Those who have worked closely with the former British Cycling performance director insist one of his greatest strengths is knowing when others should be brought in to focus on areas outside of his core skills.

Such a trait has been conspicuous by its absence at Old Trafford – key football decisions have been taken by the wrong people for too long.

For many years, Ed Woodward, a chartered accountant, was calling the shots in the transfer market.

Then, alongside Woodward’s successor as chief executive, Bristol