Who is Jean-Claude Blanc? Ex-Juventus chief lined up to replace Richard Arnold at Man Utd

5 months ago 37

MANCHESTER UNITED look set to undergo some major changes at hierarchical level over the coming weeks.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is on the verge of securing a 25 per cent stake of the club from the Glazers.

Jean-Claude Blanc and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are already close associates[/caption]

And it appears the English businessman is already making changes to some major positions at Old Trafford.

Richard Arnold is going to leave his role as CEO at the end of the year, with a replacement already lined up.

Emerging as the favourite to replace Arnold is Jean-Claude Blanc, who has previously worked at Juventus and PSG.

Who is Jean-Claude Blanc?

Blanc currently works with Ratcliffe at Ineos group, having left his role as marketing executive with PSG in 2022.

Part of Ratcliffe’s sports group is Ligue 1 club Nice and French team Lausanne-Sport, but Blanc also works with various major cycling events too.

Blanc was brought in to steady the ship at Juventus in the wake of their match-fixing scandal in 2006.

Having restored financial health and promotion to Serie A, Blanc got to work on getting Juventus into their new stadium, before leaving in 2011.

Earlier in his career, Blanc acted as the CEO for the French Tennis Association, heading up logistics at the French Open and the Paris Master Series.

Now he looks set to join United as the club move forward with a partial sale to Ratcliffe, with a deal said to be imminent.

After Blanc’s arrival, Ratcliffe may look to appointing a sporting director as well.

But one thing’s for sure – big change is on the horizon at Old Trafford.