Ligue 1: Ineos ready to slam the door on Nice? Saudi Arabia is "seriously" considering buying the club

Will OGC Nice soon be in new hands? This would be a (more than) plausible scenario. Owned by British billionaire and Ineos CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe since 2019, the Côte d'Azur club is no longer a priority for the 72-year-old businessman, who is even reportedly looking to get rid of it.

The wealthy Englishman, according to L'Informé , has asked Lazard Bank to sound out the market with the aim of finding a buyer for a total or partial sale of the Gym. A surprise? Not so much. Since Ratcliffe's acquisition of 25% of Manchester United 's shares a little over a year ago - notably beating the Saudis in the negotiations - the Aiglons have been largely sidelined within the Ineos "galaxy". In June 2024, the English press already revealed that the man with $16.7 billion (according to Forbes ) was considering parting ways with the Nice team, which has never really moved up a gear under the British flag.

Nice's best season was the one we weren't allowed to get involved in due to timeshare rules. They were so much better without our interference! Perhaps there's a lesson to be learned from this.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe

"I don't particularly like going to see Nice because there aren't any good players, but because the level of football isn't high enough for me to get excited about. Nice's best season was the one we weren't allowed to get involved in due to timeshare rules. They were so much better without our interference! Maybe there's a lesson to be learned from that," declared the wealthy boss of the Côte d'Azur last March, (already) showing his true colours.

Still according to L'Informé , the file would have recently and slightly advanced. Indeed, Saudi Arabia would be on the tablets of the OGCN . Despite the fact that this is only the beginning of the process, the Saudi public investment fund (PIF), would look "seriously" at the situation of the Nice club. Even if nothing is concrete yet, it would not be absurd to imagine Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman buying the Gym, he who already bought Newcastle in 2021 and who still wishes to interfere more in European and world football.

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For their part, Franck Haise's players, sixth in Ligue 1 , surprise winners against PSG last Friday (1-3) and two points behind third place, travel to Rennes on Friday evening with the aim of getting a little closer to direct qualification for the next Champions League . To be continued...