17 February 2024 , 12:03
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Failed Manchester United takeover bidder Thomas Zilliacus wants to talk with Sir Jim Ratcliffe about a "fan monetisation platform" idea he claims could earn the club an additional $20billion (£18.7million).
The former Nokia chief pulled out of the race to buy United last summer, claiming the Glazers' asking price meant the deal "no longer makes sense". Ratcliffe ultimately ended up agreeing a £1.3bn deal to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the club that will also see him take full control of sporting operations.
And Zillacus, who was previously the chairman of Finnish club HJK Helsinki, says he would "love" to meet with Ratcliffe and discuss an idea that he had planned to implement at United had his bid to buy them been successful.
"I welcome very much the fact that Jim Ratcliffe is running the footballing side because he's a passionate Manchester United fan and knows football," Zillacus told the Manchester Evening News.
"So what I would love to do is to talk with him and his team about the fan monetisation platform that we would have deployed if we would have been able to take over the club. It is a platform that can generate very significant revenues for Manchester United.
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"And I would be more than happy to discuss the possibility of working together in order to generate those funds. I know we could structure something very exciting for the global fan base that would generate very significant revenues for the club."
Zillacus, whose attempt to buy the club was dismissed by some rival bidders as unworkable and not serious, went on to claim that his "fan monetisation platform" concept could earn United up to $20bn. "It was actually a Swedish concept that I acquired a few years back," he added.
Thomas Zilliacus wants to meet Ratcliffe and discuss an idea he claims could earn Manchester United up to £20billion (Bloomberg via Getty Images)"The best monetary returns was actually with a top Italian club, one of those in the Champions League. So it has been tested. We have run this with other top clubs and we have made over 400 US dollars per participating fan.
"So of course, not every single fan is participating… about five per cent of the fan base participated when we tested it with other clubs. So if Manchester United has around a billion fans, as has been claimed, five per cent of that is 50 million times 400 US dollars. That's a hell of a lot of money."
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