Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly close to finalising the appointment of Dan Ashworth (Image: GETTY)
Manchester United are reportedly close to appointing Dan Ashworth as their new sporting director after holding productive talks with Newcastle. Ashworth, who previously worked at Brighton, has been on gardening leave since February after telling the Magpies he wanted to move to Old Trafford.
United have struggled to get the move over the line in recent months, with Newcastle holding out for a significant compensation package. However, it seems a breakthrough has finally been reached with ESPN reporting that a deal between the two clubs is closer than ever.
It is said that United are nearing an agreement with Newcastle which will see them pay around £20million for Ashworth's services. They are reportedly hopeful that an arbitration hearing to resolve the matter can be avoided, with the Red Devils expected to finalise the deal in due course.
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Ashworth is set to become the latest major appointment following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival at United earlier this year. Omar Berrada will begin his role as CEO later this month, while Jason Wilcox is already in place as technical director following his move from Southampton.
Ratcliffe recently hit out at Newcastle for being 'very difficult' in negotiations for Ashworth and is reported to have said internally that player recruitment will 'not be up to full speed' until the 53-year-old is in place.
"One of the biggest issues in football, which I have to say I wasn't fully prepared for, was the gardening leave issue, which is not something that I bump into in my business world," the INEOS chief told Bloomberg last month.
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"I see absolutely no point in the gardening leave thing that they have in football. It just makes it difficult to change things with pace because Omar is on six months, Dan Ashworth is on one-and-a-half years.
"We had a very sensible conversation with Southampton about Jason Wilcox. We managed to find a solution to that. Newcastle are just being very difficult and very awkward about Dan. Until you get the people in, it's quite difficult to drive the change and it's just frustrating."
Ashworth joined Newcastle in 2022 after making a name for himself at Brighton, West Bromwich Albion and with the Football Association. He earned plenty of plaudits during his time with the Seagulls and was credited with overseeing the transfer strategy which saw them emerge as one of the best-run clubs in England.
In Ashworth's absence, work on United's summer recruitment drive has been led by Wilcox, chief scout Steve Brown and head of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves. They are yet to confirm any signings but are said to be prioritising the additions of a centre-back, striker and central midfielder.
