Manchester United have been handed a humongous bill by Newcastle United for the signing of current Magpies club director Dan Ashworth. The Red Devils are interested in taking the 52-year-old to their club as their new sporting director ahead of the summer transfer window.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's bid to buy a 25% stake in Manchester United has been successful for the most part, with only final checks left to be concluded. The British billionaire has set his priority for the club to strengthen its management staff first, and build from there.
The Red Devils poached former Manchester City executive Omar Berrada last month to take over as their new CEO. They are now keen on signing Newcastle United director Dan Ashworth to take over as their sporting director.
Manchester United have approached Ashworth over their proposition, and he has accepted to take on the role. He has also informed the Magpies of his wish to move to Manchester, despite the Red Devils not yet contacting his club.
Newcastle United have placed Ashworth on a gardening leave as they wait for the Red Devils to make official contact, as per Metro UK. The Magpies have also set their asking price at over £20 million for any club willing to poach Ashworth.
Manchester United have to negotiate the exit of the executive or wait until his contract with the Magpies is up in 2026. The Red Devils are keen to sign a new director, and would likely enter into talks with their fellow Premier League side.
Manchester United set to target Chelsea man
Manchester United are keen to finalise their deal to sign Dan Ashworth from Newcastle United and move for another management staff. Their main target is Chelsea analyst Kyle Macaulay, who joined the Blues in 2022.
Chelsea poached Macaulay from Brighton and Hove Albion when Graham Potter joined them as a replacement for Thomas Tuchel. He retained his job despite Potter getting sacked by the club, and has remained with the club since then.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe intends for the side to focus on analytics and data-driven decision-making in trying to improve the state of the club. The pursuit of Macaulay is tied to the club's pursuit of Dan Ashworth, as revealed by CaughtOffside.
The new management personnel will work closely with Erik ten Hag in player targeting and acquisition within and outside transfer windows. The club hopes that it will lead to increased structure in identifying transfer targets and making signings.
