Newcastle 'disappointed' as Dan Ashworth begins gardening leave amid Manchester United interest

Manchester United sporting director target Dan Ashworth has begun a period of gardening leave as he looks to swap Newcastle for Old Trafford.

The highly sought-after transfer chief is wanted to take over the Red Devils’ operations following the arrival of minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Ashworth, formerly of the FA and Brighton among others, was only appointed by Newcastle in February 2022.

But the 52-year-old has been slapped with a £20million price tag by his employers after rival interest emerged from Man United, who considered hiring him as their technical director six years ago.

That means Ashworth will have to go through a 20-month period of gardening leave before he can sign up with Man United - or they will have to negotiate an exit fee to bring him over beforehand.

Newcastle CEO Darren Eales stated: "We are naturally disappointed that Dan has chosen to leave, however our exciting journey doesn't stop and the process to recruit a new sporting director will begin immediately.

"We thank Dan for his efforts at Newcastle United and we wish him and his family well for the future."

It is understood that Man United are also in talks with Southampton’s Jason Wilcox to join as technical director while Chelsea analyst Kyle Macaulay is another on their radar.