Sir Jim Ratcliffe has warned Manchester United must not attempt to “buy success”, as he dismissed the possibility of the club making big-money moves for Jude Bellingham or Kylian Mbappe.

Ratcliffe last month officially acquired a 27.7% stake in United and now has control of football operations at the club, with Omar Berrada, poached from rivals Manchester City, appointed as chief executive as part of a rebuild.The ‘Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force’ has also been set up, chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe and with members including Gary Neville and Andy Burnham, after Ratcliffe made it clear he wanted to build a new stadium.In terms of changes on the pitch, it remains to be seen how active United are in this summer’s transfer window, but Ratcliffe has insisted he will not allow the club to try and spend their problems away.

Asked on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast whether United would attempt to sign Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, the INEOS chairman explained his recruitment plans.

“He’s a great footballer [but] it’s not where our focus is,” Ratcliffe said.

“The solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They’ve done that, if you look at the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes, managing and organising the club.

“We must make sure we get recruitment right, such a vital part of running a football club is getting recruitment right, finding new players.”

It is almost certain that Mbappe will join Bellingham in Madrid this summer, after PSG confirmed the Frenchman would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

Should that not materialise though, Ratcliffe was quizzed on whether he would rather United bring Mbappe to Old Trafford or INEOS sign two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar. He again emphasised the need to avoid huge transfer fees on established stars.

“I’d rather find the next Mbappe, rather than spend a fortune to buy success,” Ratcliffe said.

“It’s not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe? In a way, anyone could figure that one out. But what’s much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe, or next Bellingham, or the next Roy Keane.”