9 months ago
37 ARTICLE AD
Manchester United have no intention of caving in to Newcastle’s massive compensation demands for Dan Ashworth and are prepared to wait to get their man.
The 52-year-old has agreed a deal with the Red Devils and informed Newcastle he wanted to leave over the weekend, with the Magpies immediately putting him on gardening leave.
Ashworth’s notice period is believed to be as much as two years, meaning United risk not being able to appoint the former FA chief until 2026 – unless they can reach a compromise with Newcastle.
But Newcastle, who are backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, are reportedly demanding in excess of £20million in order to release Ashworth early.
That would be the highest figure ever paid for a sporting director, though the Toon feel it is a fair price given Ashworth’s profile, CV, intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the club and the fact they spent £5m to extract him from Brighton two years ago.
But The Independent are reporting that United have no intention of paying £20m and feel that figure is ‘unrealistic’.
Instead, the club’s new minority owners Ineos – who are overseeing the recruitment drive behind the scenes – are prepared to wait.
They feel Ashworth is the right man for the job and believe it is worth waiting a few months for the ideal candidate, rather than appointing someone else just because it is more convenient.
But Ineos will not be held to ransom by Newcastle over the compensation fee and will try to negotiate them down, even if that means not getting Ashworth in through the doors at Carrington immediately.
Talks with Ashworth have been led by Jean-Claude Blanc, though the appointment is believes to be in line with the plans of new CEO Omar Berrada – who himself is on gardening leave from Manchester City until the summer.
United had initially been worried that Ashworth might reject them and had created a backup plan that would see his role effectively split – which prompted links with the likes of Paul Mitchell.
But now they have agreed a deal, United will instead have a head of recruitment sit beneath him, with Brighton’s Sam Jewell the leading contender.
Interestingly, despite Ashworth having known Sir Dave Brailsford for a number of years, it has been suggested that the Ineos chief actually preferred ex-Liverpool executive Julian Ward for the role, though Ashworth is ultimately the unanimous choice.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE : Martin Odegaard explains key reason behind Arsenal’s red-hot form
MORE : Kylian Mbappe ‘has already signed Real Madrid contract’ with unveiling date revealed
MORE : Paul Scholes labels Manchester United ‘weird’ after beating Luton Town
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
