Sir Jim Ratcliffe has taken it upon himself in a bid to land a top Manchester United target by holding face-to-face talks.
Ratcliffe making his mark at Man Utd
The new co-owner has already made an impact with the Red Devils, bringing in Omar Berrada as CEO from Manchester City and announcing plans for a new ‘Wembley of the North’ to replace Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, director of football John Murtough is stepping down, with Ratcliffe and INEOS targeting Jason Wilcox from Southampton and Dan Ashworth from Newcastle United. Ashworth has been a big target for Ratcliffe, who said back in February that the 53-year-old is “interested” in a move to Manchester.
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"I think Dan Ashworth is clearly one of the top sporting directors in the world, I've no doubt. He's a very capable person. He's interested in the Manchester United job because it's probably the biggest sporting director job in the world just now, with the biggest challenge.
"It would be different if you were the sporting director at Manchester City because you would just be maintaining a level, at Manchester United you've got quite a significant building job. I think he would be a very good addition to Manchester United but he needs to decide whether he's going to make that jump.
"We've obviously had words with Newcastle. They would clearly be disappointed to lose Dan. Newcastle have been very, very successful, they've done really well since the new ownership, they play some good football and it's transformed the club. I understand why they would be disappointed to lose Dan."
Ratcliffe then called the situation with Ashworth placed on gardening leave by Newcastle “completely stupid”.
"It's a bit silly, personally. I won't get dragged into that. What I do think is completely absurd is suggesting a man who is really good at his job sits in his garden for one-and-a-half years. That's completely stupid."
Even though Ratcliffe previously stated he wouldn’t get ‘dragged’ into the situation, it appears as if he has got personally involved.
New Dan Ashworth to Man Utd update
The Times have now shared a new development in regards to Man Utd’s bid to bring in Ashworth, revealing that Ratcliffe has held face-to-face talks with Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley, looking to reach an agreement.
Ashworth is currently on gardening leave for 18 months unless United pay a compensation package worth £15m, but it looks as if Ratcliffe is looking to lower that figure by taking it upon himself to speak with Staveley.
Reports have previously claimed that Ashworth is already pushing moves to sign Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes and Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, so he seemingly has his heart set on a move to Manchester despite not officially being appointed.
It appears that we haven’t heard the last of this situation, and hopefully, United can get their man ahead of the summer, which would allow Ashworth to make his mark in the transfer window.