Dan Ashworth wants to mastermind a huge double transfer swoop at Manchester United this summer, should he complete his move to Old Trafford.
Man Utd working on Dan Ashworth deal
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking to oversee huge changes at United in the coming months, bringing an end to what has been a poor spell since Sir Alex Ferguson moved on. Sunday’s 3-1 defeat away to Manchester City highlighted the gulf in class between the two rivals, and there need to be major improvements both on and off the pitch.
One of Ratcliffe’s primary aims currently is to secure the services of Dan Ashworth, who is currently on gardening leave after informing Newcastle United of his desire to leave the club and move to United. It is a complicated situation, however, with the Red Devils not willing to pay the Magpies £20m in compensation to bring him in this summer, meaning they could have to wait until 2026.
The Englishman is an extremely highly-rated figure in his field, excelling as the Magpies’ sporting director, masterminding key transfers and working seamlessly alongside Eddie Howe. The Newcastle boss has called him “hugely important” and “really calming”, and he could be a fantastic appointment by United.
The Red Devils haven’t had a figure of Ashworth’s calibre in place in recent years and it has shown in their recruitment, with huge sums of money spent on signings who have ultimately underwhelmed, including the likes of Jadon Sancho and Antony.
In comparison, rivals Liverpool have shown how it’s done, with Michael Edwards a superb sporting director who brought in the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah for reasonable fees, proving the power of having a true specialist in the field.
Dan Ashworth eyes huge Man Utd double signing
According to an exciting update from Inter Live [via Sport Witness], Ashworth wants to bring both Gleison Bremer and Nicolo Barella to United in the summer, in a combined deal worth €140m (£120m).
The 52-year-old could oversee a “sensational transfer operation” at Old Trafford, as he looks to “plunder” two of Serie A’s biggest club, snapping him up a couple of important players.
Bremer and Barella could be exactly what United need this summer, with defensive and midfield reinforcements required, in order to significantly improve the spine of Erik ten Hag’s team.
The former has been a rock at the heart of Juventus’ defence this season, winning an average of 2.7 aerial duels per game across 26 Serie A appearances this season, and at 26, he represents a younger alternative to Maguire, Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans.
Notable Dan Ashworth signings | Year | Cost |
|---|---|---|
Alexander Isak (Real Sociedad to Newcastle) | 2022 | £63m |
Anthony Gordon (Everton to Newcastle) | 2023 | £45m |
Sven Botman (Lille to Newcastle) | 2022 | £31m |
Nick Pope (Burnley to Newcastle) | 2022 | £10m |
Tino Livramento (Southampton to Newcastle) | 2023 | £30m |
Alexis Mac Allister (Argentinos Juniors to Brighton) | 2019 | £6.9m |
Tariq Lamptey (Chelsea to Brighton) | 2020 | £5m |
Moises Caicedo (Independiente del Valle to Brighton) | 2021 | £4m |
Kaoru Mitoma (Kawasaki Frontale to Brighton) | 2021 | £2.5m |
Leandro Trossard (Genk to Brighton) | 2019 | £13m |
Meanwhile, Barella has been one of the best midfielders in Italy for some time now, winning 51 caps for his country and playing a key role in Inter Milan reaching the Champions League final last year. He could provide both the technical class and legs that are sorely lacking in the middle of the park at United currently, with only Bruno Fernandes (3.0) averaging more key passes per game in the league than him (1.1) this season.
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This may all be dependent on whether United are able to acquire Ashworth’s services, of course, but he would be a significant capture if the club can snap him up, helping them slowly return to the top of English football.
