Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said that failing to purchase Manchester United is not an option, with the British billionaire appearing to confirm that he is still very much in the picture to complete a takeover.

Last November, the Glazers signalled a willingness to entertain offers for the Red Devils, and two clear candidates have emerged in the shape of Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.

As it stands, Sheikh Jassim is believed to be firmly at the head of the queue, with the Qatari banker looking to complete a full takeover of the club.

Ratcliffe, on the other hand, is only thought to be bidding for a controlling stake at this stage, with a full takeover occurring at a later date.

However, there have been recent reports that the Glazer family are considering taking Man United off the market, having had a change of heart when it comes to their plans.

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There have also been suggestions that the American owners want as much as £10bn for the Red Devils, which is believed to be double the offers currently on the table from Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim.

A recent report denied that the Man United bidders had been informed that the club was no longer on the market, and Ratcliffe appears to have confirmed that stance.

The Brit has said that he is not entertaining the idea of failing to purchase the 20-time English champions.

"The Manchester United bid would have been unthinkable two or three years ago if we hadn't had some of experiences - some quite difficult experiences with Lausanne and Nice," Ratcliffe told INEOS.TV.

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"You can't really contemplate acquiring a brand like Manchester United and failing because the failure is just far too public and excruciating in a deal like that."

There is believed to be conflict in the Glazer family when it comes to their plans, with the siblings thought to have different ideas on the best course of action.

Man United have made an underwhelming start to the new Premier League season, picking up six points from four matches, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest at home, and losing to Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal on their travels.

Erik ten Hag's side will be bidding to return to winning ways when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, but they will be without Antony, who will not return to action until he has addressed the abuse accusations levelled at him.