After £70m bid for Mbeumo: Tottenham ready to drag Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS to the High Court

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to find himself in new trouble due to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham have sued Ineos Automotive Limited, which is a subsidiary of the multinational Ineos company that co-owns Manchester United.

Tottenham have filed a High Court commercial lawsuit following the breakdown of a major sponsorship agreement.

INEOS Grenadier became Spurs’ official 4×4 vehicle partner in December 2022 as part of a multi-million-pound five-year deal.

Ratcliffe wants to pull the plug early but the two parties have failed to reach an agreement through negotiations.

The Lilywhites and the petrochemicals company have had a business relationship prior to 2022.

The latter was named as the club’s “official hand sanitiser supplier” during the pandemic.

This is not the first sponsorship saga INEOS has faced this year. The company was locked in a similar standoff with the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, which ended in a quiet settlement.

While INEOS attributes its recent cost-cutting to growing carbon tax pressures in Europe, the report reveal that Ratcliffe’s firm may look to avoid a drawn-out court battle with Spurs.

The legal battle between Tottenham and Ineos comes less than a month after the former defeated United to lift the UEFA Europa League trophy.

The rivalry is heating up off the pitch too, as both clubs are now locked in a transfer war for Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo.

Despite Mbeumo’s reported preference for a move to Old Trafford, Spurs have made a power play with a £70 million bid.

Their offer trumps United’s and heaps pressure on the Red Devils, who are banking on Brentford lowering their sky-high asking price for the 25-year-old.

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .