Man Utd ‘reach verbal agreement’ for £21m Ashworth deal as he lines up £120m duo as first signings

Joe Williams
Man Utd target Dan Ashworth
Manchester United are refusing to pay the whole compensation fee to for Dn Ashworth

Man Utd must pay £21m to land Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth after they ‘reached a verbal agreement’ to sign him, according to reports.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed a deal to buy 25 per cent of the Red Devils from the Glazers last month with the British billionaire taking over footballing operations at Old Trafford as part of the agreement.

Man Utd have Dan Ashworth ‘agreement’ in place

Ratcliffe and INEOS wasted no time in appointing Omar Berrada as the new CEO, pinching him from arch-rivals Man City, while they have made Ashworth their number one priority to become sporting director.

Reports have claimed that they also want Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman as their new head of recruitment and Southampton’s Jason Wilcox as technical director.

Man Utd have been criticised over the last decade. since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013, for their poor transfer business with millions wasted on poor signings and Ratcliffe has made it a priority to get their recruitment department in order.

And Inter Live now claim that Man Utd have a ‘verbal agreement’ with Ashworth as the Shields Gazzette insists that they must pay £21m in compensation for the Magpies to release him.

READ MORE: Man Utd cannot sleep on biggest manager appointment since 2013 in hardest summer

Inter Live add that Ashworth will look to complete a ‘sensational transfer operation’ in the summer with a €140m (£120m) double swoop for two Serie A stars.

The incoming Man Utd sporting director plans on ‘sending’ a €60m offer to Juventus for Gleison Bremer and could become the ‘object of desire’ once again after attempting to buy him at Newcastle.

While Man Utd could also put down €80m for Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella at the ‘explicit request’ of Ashworth, who was also keen on the Italy international during his time at St James’ Park.

Fabrizio Romano confirms Saudi interest in Casemiro

The Red Devils could have to wave goodbye to some players before they can afford to bring them in this summer and Casemiro has been linked to Saudi Arabia.

Giving an update on Casemiro’s future and a potential Man Utd move for Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “There is still interest from Saudi in Manchester United midfielder Casemiro.

“It’s nothing advanced, but the interest is still there after they also showed an interest last summer. Then in October/November, there were some calls to intermediaries to understand the situation, but never directly to Manchester United.

“Let’s see what Man United will decide with Casemiro in the next months. At the moment the player is still fully committed and focused on United, but the interest is still there, so let’s see if Saudi clubs will return, and maybe make a proposal for Casemiro.

“So far, there was never any official contact or offer, but Casemiro’s situation looks like it could be one to watch in the summer because the interest from Saudi is still there.

“In terms of possible midfield signings coming in for United, the race remains open for Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves, who has been scouted by the Red Devils, and also by Manchester City.

“Benfica will insist on the release clause of €120m being triggered, so it’s not an easy deal, but the interest from Premier League clubs is there in terms of scouting. So far, no club has approached Benfica to start a negotiation yet, so it remains absolutely open.”