Man Utd target Dan Ashworth asks to LEAVE Newcastle after being approached for sporting director role at Old Trafford

Ashworth informed Newcastle of an official approach from United to take over as the club's new sporting director last week, with the 52-year-old having been identified as a top target by Sir Jim Ratfcliffe and INEOS - the new minority shareholders at Old Trafford. According to The Athletic, Ashworth told Newcastle on Sunday that he wants to leave St James' Park, which could fast-track his proposed switch to Manchester.

The Athletic adds that Ashworth has attracted attention from United due to his strong reputation in the fields of player recruitment and high-performance structure building, with Ratcliffe currently in the process of overhauling the football side of operations at Old Trafford. Newcastle and United have not yet opened formal talks over Ashworth's proposed move, but they are anticipated "soon".

Ashworth, who has now been placed on gardening leave at St James' Park, initially joined Newcastle in early 2022 after leaving his technical director post at Brighton. As The Sun reports, if he does head to United as expected, Ashworth is likely to bring a support team with him, which could include analyst Kyle Macaulay - who worked with Graham Potter during his tenure as Chelsea manager.

Ashworth is, however, still under contract at Newcastle, who are set to demand a huge compensation package. According to The Telegraph, United won't be able to make Ashworth their new sporting director until 2026 unless they pay the Magpies £20 million ($25m). Newcastle always said they were "very well protected" after the initial approach from the Red Devils, and it remains to be seen whether they can negotiate that huge fee down in the coming weeks.