When Man United are now hoping Dan Ashworth will join from Newcastle with ‘talks ongoing’

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Dan Ashworth is still yet to join Man United from Newcastle United after announcing his departure as sporting director last month.

Newcastle had been hoping to get £20m out of their Premier League rivals, though that compensation fee looks like it could come down if both teams can agree on a reasonable deal.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that Man United would be willing to wait until after the summer to hire Ashworth, but waiting until 2025 would really go against their plans.

Newcastle won’t give Ashworth up easily

There’s no turning back now, Ashworth has left his role at Newcastle and won’t be coming back, but that doesn’t mean they simply have to roll over and let Man United take whatever they want.

Gone are the days where Newcastle are willing to accept pennies for top talents, they want to be taken seriously and this is the perfect statement to make to the rest of the league and the world.

Newcastle still hold all of the power when it comes to negotiations with Man United adamant that they need to have him in before 2025 begins, so it depends on how desperate they become as that deadline draws closer.

Of course, Newcastle would also rather come to a solution sooner rather than later, but Amanda Staveley and her colleagues won’t be taken for fools and will be getting the club the best deal possible.

On Ashworth, Jacobs said: “I think the main aim of Manchester United and Ratcliffe is to ensure that, in an ideal world, Ashworth only misses one window at worst.

“So, if they can get him for this summer, that would be great. But if they can’t, they’ll want him to start in September, so he’ll be well set to begin planning for 2025 and beyond.

“This is because deep down, despite all of the ambition and positivity, Ratcliffe, INEOS, and Man Utd’s old regime know that they won’t be able to fix everything overnight on the football side.

“They’ve got a five-window plan, which includes three summers and two winters. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a disaster if Ashworth missed one summer window. But it would be much more frustrating for the project if he can’t start until after the 2025 winter transfer window. Talks are ongoing, and they are just about compensation.”

Newcastle happy to go ahead with their summer plans

In an ideal world Newcastle would already have a new director in who would be devising a plan for the summer transfer window which could be the most important in the club’s recent history.

There are so many areas of Newcastle’s squad that need to be looked at and not enough funds to improve everything, and now Ashworth’s departure has thrown another spanner into the works.

Tiago Pinto and Paul Mitchell have both thrown their hats into the ring as possible replacements, but there’s been no suggestion that the club are going after either just yet.

For the moment, Newcastle are continuing on with Darren Eales and Staveley working on negotiating deals for the club and preparing for the summer, and it was proved that along with Eddie Howe they were more than competent prior to Ashworth coming in.