Sir Jim Ratcliffe holds talks with Newcastle United co-owner as he looks to complete the appointment of Dan Ashworth as the club’s sporting director.
According to a report by The Times, Manchester United are keen on having Dan Ashworth at the club before the start of the summer transfer window. They haven’t been able to strike a deal with Newcastle United, as a result, his appointment is far from complete. In order to resolve the situation, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has decided to take matters into his own hands.
Major changes at United under Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The United part-owner who completed the purchase of a minority stake in the club at the start of the year now has full control over the club’s sporting decisions. He is looking to make major changes in the background and has already completed the appointment of Omar Berrada as their new CEO.
They are also working on appointing Southampton chief Jason Wilcox as their new technical director. While everything else seems to going according to plan for the new part owner, the Ashworth deal has become a major headache.
Ratcliffe meets Newcastle co-owner
The 53-year-old was approached for the role at the start of the year and soon he agreed to lead the new era at United. He made his decision known to Newcastle and they ended up putting him on gardening leave. His leave runs for 18 months unless the Red Devils manage to come up with the right compensation package.
The Magpies are looking to make something around £15 million from Ashworth’s move. A fee that United has no intention of paying, as a result, the deal has been at a standstill for a while now. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is aware of the fact that Ashworth is very important for them as they head into the summer transfer window.
As a result, they want to secure his services as soon as possible. But, with the two clubs locked in a stalemate over Ashworth, the United part-owner decided to take matters into his own hands. Frustrated with the situation, Ratcliffe held a face-to-face talk with Newcastle’s co-owner Amanda Staveley.
The meeting’s purpose was to resolve the situation around the 53-year-old who has been placed on a long notice period. While no details from the meeting have been mentioned, the two clubs are expected to continue talks over the next days in search of a common ground.