Man United woes not solved by ‘buying an Mbappé’ – Ratcliffe

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he doesn’t think the solution to the club’s problems “is to buy an Mbappé,” but rather to build a balanced squad.

Earlier this month, Real Madrid announced the long-anticipated signing of Kylian Mbappé on a free transfer, ending their years-long wait for him to join the club.

Sources told ESPN that Mbappé has signed a five-year deal worth €15 million ($16.2m) a year after taxes and will also receive a €150m signing on fee, spread over his deal.

“I don’t think the solution is to buy an Mbappé,” Ratcliffe told The Times CEO Summit on Thursday. “We are more grassroots than that. One player is not going to solve the problem at Manchester United.

“The first thing we need to do is build a balanced squad and ultimately maybe top it off with one or two players like Mbappé. It will take two or three summer windows to get to a better place.”