'I am happy' - Former Manchester United man confirms he is joining Newcastle United in major move

Newcastle United are set to add to their scouting team ahead of the January transfer window.

Marcel Bout, formerly of Manchester United and Bayern Munich, has claimed he is joining the Magpies through the Dutch media. According to AD, the 60-year-old will be based in the Netherlands and travel around the world and is tasked with identifying major talent between the ages of 16 and 23.

As quoted by the Dutch newspaper (via Sport Witness), Bout said: “I have recently come into contact with Newcastle. The steady expansion of the club appeals to me. I’m also happy to be back in England and at Champions League level."

Bout has held a long association with Dutch legend Louis van Gaal, starting at Bayern Munich in 2011 when he became assistant. He then reunited with Van Gaal at Man United in 2014, where he specialised in opposition scouting before becoming the Old Trafford club's chief global scout between October 2016 and April 2022.

He is expected to begin work ahead of January as Newcastle consider bolstering their squad.

The Magpies have recently lost £52million summer signing Sandro Tonali to a 10-month ban following an investigation into illegal betting activity.

And the depth of Eddie Howe's squad has been depleted in recent weeks with the United boss without 12 senior players for Tuesday night's Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

Asked about the club's January plans in a sitdown interview last week, sporting director Dan Ashworth said: “We have always been of the view that you have your budget for the whole financial year so you may as well as spend as much of it as you can in the summer so you maximise the time that player can perform for the whole season rather than half a season in Jan. Also, Jan is a notoriously difficult window. So we do have a little bit of flexibility and we are able to look at the market.

"But there are lots of ways to do it. Whether it is a straight loan or a loan with an obligation or an option. You can sign a player and monetise it with a long contract. We are going to have to be quite creative and there will not be a large number of players coming in. But we do want to be active. We want to strengthen the squad and give us the best possible chance of success, but if the right player does not come up, we won’t do anything."