'Said yes' - Man Utd willing to pay fee for key Newcastle figure as Fabrizio Romano offers key update

Manchester United are closing in on a deal to appoint Newcastle United’s highly-rated sporting director Dan Ashworth. Fabrizio Romano reports that Ashworth has already said ‘yes’ to Manchester United’s proposal, adding that he sees it as a big opportunity and project.

Ashworth is regarded as one of the best in the business and has generated a strong reputation in areas such as player recruitment and the building of high-performance structures. Prior to joining Newcastle, he had worked as sporting and technical director at West Brom and played his part behind the scenes in helping the club to two promotions and two top-half finishes in the Premier League.

His success with the Baggies garnered the interest of the English Football Association, where he was branded the brainchild of the ‘England DNA’ programme, implementing a defined style across various age groups, with many going on to achieve silverware.

Ashworth’s rise to prominence continued at Brighton in 2019 and during his time as technical director he was credited for the club’s shrewd recruitment approach as the likes of Yyves Bissouma, Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella were all acquired for nominal fees.

His move to Newcastle United in June 2022 signalled a statement of intent for the North East club and he has overseen the signings of Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento, Sandro Tonali, Lewis Hall and Nick Pope to name a few.

It is little surprise to see that he is a top target for Manchester United as they kick off a new reign of ownership under Jim Ratcliffe, who has agreed to purchase a 25 percent stake in the club.

The one stumbling block Manchester United face is that Ashworth’s existing deal includes a 12 month gardening leave clause if he was to decide to move to another club. The Red Devils are determined to get Ashworth at Old Trafford as soon as possible, but would need to pay the Magpies additional compensation to secure the move.

Providing an update, Romano posted on X: “Dan Ashworth has already said yes to Manchester United. He's prepared to accept their proposal as it's considered a big opportunity & project. Understand Man United are intentioned to negotiate and pay compensation to Newcastle; they absolutely want Ashworth now, not in 2025.”