Manchester United Near Agreement with Newcastle for Dan Ashworth as Sporting Director
According to ESPN, Manchester United is closing on an agreement with Newcastle United to appoint Dan Ashworth as their new sporting director. Dan Ashworth, currently on a lengthy gardening leave since February has expressed his desire to switch to Manchester United. Newcastle had initially demanded a compensation fee of around £20 million but the amount was seen as absurd by Manchester United. United was only willing to pay around £2 million for the Newcastle man, but both clubs are reportedly close to finalizing a settlement.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United's new co-owner, has been very vocal about the difficulty in striking a deal with the Toons, accusing Newcastle of being difficult. Ratcliffe emphasized that player recruitment cannot proceed fully until Dan Ashworth is in place as a sporting director. In Ashworth's absence as Sporting Director, newly-appointed technical director Jason Wilcox and head of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves have been managing United's transfer plans. However, it is understood that Dan Ashworth when coming in will have a major part to play in the transfer window. Manchester United is reportedly finalizing the deal for him as soon as possible since they want to wrap up the transfer business as soon as possible and give the manager a balanced squad before the start of the pre-season on July,15th.
Manchester United has retained Erik ten Hag as manager for the next season after a lengthy end-of-the-season review. The club has identified the signing of a center-back, striker, and central midfielder in the upcoming transfer window as a priority with notable names linked to the Old Trafford side. The transfer plans depend on various sales taking place with Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, and Wan-Bissakka a few names linked for a move away from the club. The club is also looking to revamp Erik ten Hag's coaching staff, with potential new appointments including former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Go Ahead Eagles manager Rene Hake.
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