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Manchester United and Newcastle are expected to agree a deal for Dan Ashworth next week, Mail Sport understands.
A formal approach by Man United to the sporting director is being prepared and a quick conclusion is the preference of all parties.
We understand Ashworth wants to swap St James’ Park for Old Trafford and, if a compensation package is agreed, there are likely to be moves in the coming days, although he is likely to take a long period of leave to work in the garden.
Incoming Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team consider the 52-year-old to be the best in the business, and the focus of his tenure would be recruitment.
Ashworth has not had as much control as he had hoped at Newcastle, the club he joined in the summer of 2022. There has been no fallout, but the appeal of the project at Man United and his relationship with INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, has convinced him that it is the right time to move on.
Manchester United are expected to agree a deal to hire Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth next week.
Manchester United’s next co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe sees him as the best in the business.
INEOS is not waiting as they anticipate the imminent end of their 25 per cent stake in United and control of the club’s football operations. Recruiting is their number one priority with rebuilding the stadium’s secondary.
They are determined to find a better balance in recruiting than has been achieved over the last 10 years and have identified Ashworth as the ideal leader for a new-look team. Other support appointments are expected to be made quickly as United want to be ready to move early ahead of the summer transfer window, with targets already identified.
Brailsford and Ratcliffe showed their intentions to bring the best with the shrewd acquisition of Omar Berrada as chief executive of neighbors Manchester City, and Ashworth will be seen as another statement of their intentions. In addition to a significant personal financial package, he will also be offered significant behind-the-scenes power.
Since joining Newcastle from Brighton in the summer of 2022, Ashworth has, according to multiple sources, found his skills limited. Indeed, the prospect of having greater control at Old Trafford is likely to be one of the key factors in deciding his future.
Ratcliffe, along with his trusted advisor Brailsford, wants to reintroduce a “British soul” to United’s operations, with Ashworth’s experience in the domestic industry being key to what INEOS wants to build.
Ashworth is close to Sir Dave Brailsford and is attracted to the new project at Manchester United
He has not had as much control as he would have liked under a complex structure at Newcastle
If Ashworth leaves, former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards is likely to emerge as a candidate to take the reins at Newcastle. Edwards, one of the game’s most sought-after operators, left Anfield in June 2022 but has since returned to the sports industry after launching an advisory firm alongside former Liverpool research director Ian Graham.
Current Bournemouth manager Richard Hughes could also be considered to fill a vacancy. Hughes, who has also been linked with a similar role at Liverpool, worked with Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe on the south coast, where the pair formed a strong bond.
