How Manchester United could snatch Dan Ashworth and Newcastle’s £25m target

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Manchester United could snatch not only Newcastle United’s sporting director Dan Ashworth but also their £25 million-rated central defensive target Radu Dragusin in the New Year.

Ashworth, the man labelled ‘increasingly likely’ to step in to John Murtough’s shoes at Old Trafford, will bring with him not only his own ideas, his own principles, but also his own list of potential transfer targets (Daily Mail), United’s new director expected to share the burden of recruitment with Erik ten Hag.

And if Manchester United are already fluttering their eyelashes in the direction of Radu Dragusin – Romanian publication Pro Sport believe that initial talks have already taken place – then the chances of the Genoa defender earning himself a £25 million move to England’s north west will only increase if Ashworth become the first big appointment of the INEOS era.

Dan Ashworth cold leave Newcastle for Manchester United

Florin Manea, Dragusin’s outspoken agent, confirmed recently that he had been in talks with Ashworth’s Newcastle about a big-money deal for the former Juventus starlet.

“I talked (with) Newcastle. But they are not the only ones. There are several teams I am talking to,” Manea explains, the agent also confirming discussions with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

“Genoa want 30 million euros. They said so directly. I don’t think there is anyone in Italy who would pay this amount of 30 million euros.

He and Ashworth go back a long way. All the way back to 2009, to be precise, when Gabriel Tamas joined a West Brom side who employed him as their sporting and technical director at the time.

“The chief with whom I made (the transfer Tamas) at West Brom is now at Newcastle,” Manea adds. “We have known each other since 2009.

“(Ashworth’s Newcastle) are watching (Dragusin), but so are other big clubs in England. There’s no official offer yet, but it’s coming.”

Radu Dragusin’s agent knows Ashworth well

If Ashworth is to become Ratcliffe’s first big appointment at Manchester United, could Radu Dragusin then become Ashworth’s first big signing?

It is no secret that a talented young centre-half is one of United’s top priorities in 2024, and Ashworth’s sizeable book of contacts should serve to make Ten Hag’s job that little bit easier.