Newcastle United has placed Dan Ashworth on gardening leave amidst interest from Manchester United
Dan Ashworth, the sporting director of Newcastle United, informed the team he wanted to join Manchester United, and as a result, he was put on gardening leave.
Ashworth is being pursued by Manchester United as part of their Ineos-inspired club transformation.
It is believed that negotiations between the clubs have not yet begun.
Ashworth's contract with Newcastle forbids him from working for anybody else until 2025 unless compensation is arranged. Ashworth is 52 years old.
Newcastle thinks they have every right to demand a price far in excess of £10 million from Manchester United.
However, the Old Trafford group is adamant that they won't be held hostage.
Ashworth is widely recognised as one of the industry's top sporting directors. Nonetheless, there have been hints from St. James' Park that he was at least somewhat in charge of Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali's £55 million July acquisition from AC Milan.
After breaking Italian gambling laws, Tonali played just 12 games for Newcastle before receiving a 10-month ban, which will prevent him from playing until August.
This would be another big move by Ineos, whose 25% ownership of Manchester United is expected to be announced this week, if they were to agree to a deal for Ashworth.After getting to know Sir Dave Brailsford, Ineos' head of sport, when he worked at the Football Association (FA), Ashworth is reportedly eager to move to Old Trafford.
When England's young team won the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups in 2017, Ashworth was given the credit for their incredible performance.
Then, once Chris Hughton was fired, he played a part in shaping Brighton's ascent through the Premier League by selecting Graham Potter as manager.
Before moving to Newcastle in 2022, Ashworth departed Brighton and took a leave of absence.
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Ashworth is being pursued by Manchester United as part of their Ineos-inspired club transformation.
It is believed that negotiations between the clubs have not yet begun.
Ashworth's contract with Newcastle forbids him from working for anybody else until 2025 unless compensation is arranged. Ashworth is 52 years old.
Newcastle thinks they have every right to demand a price far in excess of £10 million from Manchester United.
However, the Old Trafford group is adamant that they won't be held hostage.
Ashworth is widely recognised as one of the industry's top sporting directors. Nonetheless, there have been hints from St. James' Park that he was at least somewhat in charge of Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali's £55 million July acquisition from AC Milan.
After breaking Italian gambling laws, Tonali played just 12 games for Newcastle before receiving a 10-month ban, which will prevent him from playing until August.
This would be another big move by Ineos, whose 25% ownership of Manchester United is expected to be announced this week, if they were to agree to a deal for Ashworth.After getting to know Sir Dave Brailsford, Ineos' head of sport, when he worked at the Football Association (FA), Ashworth is reportedly eager to move to Old Trafford.
When England's young team won the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups in 2017, Ashworth was given the credit for their incredible performance.
Then, once Chris Hughton was fired, he played a part in shaping Brighton's ascent through the Premier League by selecting Graham Potter as manager.
Before moving to Newcastle in 2022, Ashworth departed Brighton and took a leave of absence.
Check out the most recent Football Daily podcast.
All the information you require on the flag of your Premier League team
We've got more and better coverage of your Premier League side than ever before. Download the BBC Sport app, follow your team, and set up alerts to ensure you never miss a thing.
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