The Jim Ratcliffe era is well underway at Manchester United, with wholesale change expected in the months to come at the club.
Ratcliffe, a former holder of the title of "Richest man in Britain" bought a sizeable minority stake in United midway through last season.
His company INEOS have taken control of the sporting action at Old Trafford, under the stewardship of former Team Sky cycling chief Dave Brailsford - INEOS' current Director of Sport.
Though United fans are ecstatic to see the much-maligned Glazer ownership slowly loosening their grip on the club, there is still a long way to go to get the ailing club back to the heights of previous years.
With INEOS announcing investment in the training ground at Carrington and exploring options for the redevelopment of Old Trafford, the next question is of course how they will go about investing in the team on the pitch.
One priority area will be at centre-back, with the departure of Raphael Varane exacerbating what was already an injury-ridden area for United last season.
A target heavily linked with a move to Manchester has been French prospect Jean-Clair Todibo, who currently plays for another club owned by Ratcliffe's INEOS group OGC Nice.
However, reports this week suggest that UEFA's regulation on multi-club ownership could prevent Ratcliffe from moving Todibo from Nice to Manchester. Ratcliffe himself has now hinted at these frustrations in an interview with Bloomberg.
READ HERE: Damien Duff And Coaching Staff Commit Long-Term Future To Shelbourne
READ HERE: James McClean Says He Cannot Understand English Hype Around Declan Rice
Obscure UEFA rule could cause issues for Manchester United
Jean-Clair Todibo in action for Nice (Photo: Shutterstock)
Speaking to the American business magazine, Jim Ratcliffe did not name Jean-Clair Todibo, but admitted that UEFA had prevented him from signing a Nice player for Manchester United.
They’ve said we can sell him to another Premiership club, but we can’t sell to Manchester United. But that’s not fair on the player and I don’t see what that achieves.
Multi-club ownership has been a growing issue in European football in recent years, with examples such as the Spanish side Girona being owned by the City Football Group who operate Manchester City.
Technically, UEFA's rules prevent two clubs with the same ownership from competing in the same continental competition. With both Nice and Manchester United competing in the Europa League next year, UEFA have reportedly granted INEOS a one-year amnesty to figure out a long-term solution.
The issues surrounding the acquisition of Todibo will be frustrating for Manchester United fans, given his youth and potential.
The 24-year-old Frenchman began his career at Toulouse before moving to Barcelona in 2018. He would make only a handful of appearances during his two years at the Camp Nou, having spent spells on loan at Schalke and Benfica.
Todibo has been with Nice since 2020, and played 30 games in Ligue 1 last season as the club managed a fifth-place finish and European qualification.
SEE ALSO: Frank Lampard Gobsmacked By Gary Lineker's Savage Dig In BBC Studio
