However, as a result of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, Ratcliffe and INEOS are facing some logistical problems, with the businessman hoping to sell French side Nice. It’s been about two years since it went on the market, but so far no one has taken it.
The company, based in the south of France, is said to have been originally valued at around €150m, the equivalent of £130m. The asking price fell in January, but French soccer journalist Romain Molina now claims that the asking price has plummeted again.
It is currently unclear how much Ratcliffe and INEOS will settle for, but it is thought to be significantly less than the original £130m. Nice fans have voiced their opposition to Ratcliffe’s continued ownership of INEOS after he took a step back last season.
However, Nice have endured a tough battle this season as they currently struggle towards the wrong end of the Ligue 1 table. After 28 games in the French first division, Nice sit 15th in the table, just nine points off the drop zone.
Mr Ratcliffe, the billionaire, caused an uproar last year when he revealed he was not excited about Nice or French football. “I can’t honestly answer why I did it. It’s a very difficult question,” he said.
“In Nice, in the French league, you can buy a club for £100 million. Access is much cheaper. But I don’t particularly enjoy going to Nice because they have some good players but the level of football is not high enough for me to get excited about.”
This caused an uproar not only among Nice’s fan base, but also within the management, with then-manager Frank Heise replying: “The article in which it was published was much more complete than that. But he has not seen a Nice game this season. He has spoken in more detail about what he has seen another time.”
“It’s not that serious. We can be frustrated, that’s obvious. But is it really worth staying frustrated for so long? We have to keep working, have fun and do the best we can. We have to move forward and continue our path.”
