Having told Newcastle United chiefs that he wants to join Manchester United, Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave.
A move to Old Trafford now appears imminent for Ashworth, a key architect of Brighton & Hove Albion’s rise to prominence through smart decision-making in the transfer market.
It would be a major milestone early on for INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire who acquired a 28 per cent stake in United and oversight over football matters and infrastructure strategy as a result of the £1.3billion deal that was agreed on Christmas Eve and ratified by the Premier League earlier this month.
Various reports peg the cost of getting Ashworth to helm the vision for a new football strategy at Old Trafford at between £10m and £20m, with Newcastle - who are said to be 'furious' with their Old Trafford rivals - likely to play hardball as much as they can over the compensation fee; the acceptance being Ashworth has already made up his mind.
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