Sir Jim Ratcliffe was touted to take over Chelsea before eventually pulling out of the deal and later investing in rivals Manchester United

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe came close to buying out Premier League rivals Chelsea (twice) before pulling out of the deal. The INEOS billionaire is expected to be at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as his current club takes on the Blues.

However, there was one major sticking point that ultimately impacted his takeover attempt in west London. That being the fact Chelsea would come with the additional burden of having to renovate their stadium at eye-watering expense.

Before Roman Abramovich was forced to sell his shares in the club, Ratcliffe launched his own move to buy out the Blues between 2018 and 2019. He was then linked as a prospective buyer once again in 2022 when the Russian billionaire was forced to sell up.

The numbers made more sense to Ratcliffe and his business partner brother, Bob, by the time that second attempt came around in 2022. The British tycoon saw a last-gasp bid worth £2.5billion (plus a commitment to invest another £1.75bn) 'rejected out of hand' before Todd Boehly eventually completed his own takeover.

"We spent quite a lot of time looking at Premier League clubs and their valuations," said Bob Ratcliffe during a 2019 appearance on BBC Radio 5 Live. "It was difficult to rationalise purchases in the Premier League for us. If you look below the top six, they are all £150m and above.

"I think the foreseeable future it is off the radar. We have a three to five year project in Nice and that will keep us busy. There was some early exchange [with Chelsea] but we were a significant way apart on valuations.

"The issue with Chelsea is its stadium. We are all getting older and it is a decade of your life to resolve that."

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It's somewhat ironic INEOS ended up taking over United given their stadium concerns are arguably much greater than Chelsea's. What's more, upgrading the Carrington training facility was an immediate priority for the new investors once they took over operations.

Fans have widely criticised the deteriorating conditions at Old Trafford, which has suffered from leaks and other issues in recent years. United are now in the process of getting construction underway on a new 100,000-seat stadium that could cost in excess of £2billion.

Despite being a self-professed United fan, Ratcliffe has held a season ticket at Stamford Bridge for a number of years. That indicates a certain admiration for the west London club, too, though his love for the Manchester giants is seemingly stronger.

Strong enough that he's willing to take on an extreme financial burden in an effort to put the club back where he feels it belongs. Meanwhile, uncertainty remains over Chelsea and whether they will enact plans to move to a bigger stadium, which is considered by some a crucial next step for the club.