Man Utd ‘would love’ to complete colossal Newcastle raid, as former Tottenham man eyed in double swoop

Sir Jim Ratcliffe Man Utd co-owner

Incoming Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe, as well as INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, are desperate to land Newcastle United official Dan Ashworth as they look to kickstart a glorious new era at Old Trafford, according to reports.

Ratcliffe has beaten Sheikh Jassim in the takeover race following several rounds of talks with the Glazer family and has agreed to pay £1.3billion for an initial 25 per cent stake in Man Utd. Ratcliffe was hoping to begin work at Man Utd some time ago, but the deal has been held up by several issues.

While this is clearly a blow for the British billionaire, it has also given him more time to plan Man Utd’s route back to the summit of English and European football.

There look set to be some major changes to Erik ten Hag’s squad, with big-name players such as Casemiro, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial all in line to depart.

In terms of incomings, Ratcliffe is hopeful of landing Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice, the French club he already owns. Man Utd are also ‘frontrunners’ to sign lethal striker Serhou Guirassy in January, though they will face stiff competition from Newcastle for him.

Ten Hag himself may end up leaving Man Utd, too. Ratcliffe and his team are eyeing up potential successors in case the Dutchman cannot get the side to improve, with Roberto de Zerbi and Julen Lopetegui both targets.

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The 71-year-old businessman will also make sweeping changes at the very top of the club. CEO Richard Arnold will leave at the end of the year, and director of football John Murtough is expected to follow him out of the exit door.

90Min have now provided a report looking at which new faces could arrive at Man Utd to spearhead their project.

Ratcliffe wants Man Utd to snare Newcastle chief

Ratcliffe and Brailsford are very ambitious and ‘would love’ to complete a daring raid on Newcastle for their sporting director Ashworth.

The Englishman has a fantastic reputation in the game, following the brilliant work he did at Brighton and how he has helped Newcastle reach the next level.

Newcastle have placed their trust in Ashworth to head up their own regeneration and eventually lead them to trophies such as the Premier League title. The Magpies will not want to lose him under any circumstances, but Ratcliffe will soon launch a blockbuster move anyway.

Ideally, Ratcliffe and Brailsford would like Paul Mitchell to work under Ashworth as their new head of recruitment.

Mitchell is another highly sought-after figure, as he has great contacts after working at Tottenham, Southampton, RB Leipzig and Monaco in the past.

Former Liverpool transfer mastermind Michael Edwards has previously been on the radar of Man Utd’s new chiefs, but they are currently leaning towards the likes of Ashworth and Mitchell. Perhaps Ratcliffe and co. have been burned by Edwards not wanting to negotiate a move with them previously.

In a boost for the Man Utd faithful, who have been awaiting confirmation of the ownership deal for months, 90Min add that Ratcliffe is expected to join the ownership team later this month. He will then make his first official communication to fans before Christmas, ahead of a huge 2024 for everyone involved with the club.

Meanwhile, Friday’s Euro Paper Talk includes Man Utd holding an imminent meeting with a major European side over one transfer.