Ratcliffe (pictured abo༺ve with Lewis Hamilton) owns 33% of Mercedes via INEOS. Toto Wolff also owns a third, and Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler owns a third♑.

The 70-year-old billionaire is Britain’s riches▨t man and lodged his offer for “ꦕmajority ownership” on Friday night although he faces competition from  Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

Ratcliffe already owns cycling team INEOS Grenadiers, French football team Nice♌, and Swiss football team FC Lausanne-Sport.

"We would see our role as the long-term custodians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and thꦦe wider community," an INEOS statement said.

Lewis Hamilton, s🍰peaking earlier this week before confirmation of Ratcliffe’s bid, said: "I am very close with Jim so I am aware of wh൲ere he is at (with United).

"We talk a lot about football as he is very pas🍃sionate about it. We have great d🎶iscussions about what his team is doing, we talk about how Arsenal are playing.

"Obviously he is from Manchester so that is his dream home... wher༒e he comes from.”

Hamilton had previously said: "Jim's part boꦕss but partner – I'd say we're more partners because we're in this together and I hope in future to do something♈ with Jim and build with him. I don't know where that will be or what that will be, so I can't really say.

"I do want to get more and more involved in teams because I really do believe in black ownership – there ♉is a lack of it in🌱 sports – and black equity. Again, there is a real lack of that."