Dan Ashworth latest: Manchester United warned by Newcastle as summer 2025 fear revealed

Newcastle have warned Manchester United they expect ‘significant compensation’ to let Dan Ashworth go – and they could prevent him working until summer 2025.

Ashworth has been identified as the leading candidate for the sporting director position at Manchester United after excelling in similar roles with Brighton and Newcastle.

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe securing Premier League approval for their purchase of a 25 per cent stake in the Old Trafford club, his INEOS team have already set about putting a high-performance structure in place after being given the green light to handle football matters by majority owners, the Glazer family.

Ashworth is ‘seen as the best in the business’ by Ratcliffe, according to Craig Hope of the Daily Mail.

Omar Berrada has already been tempted from Manchester City, appointed as chief executive by Manchester United ahead of an ambitious summer transfer window overhaul.

That move is said by Jamie Jackson of The Guardian to have ‘impressed Ashworth’, and could play a part in the Newcastle sporting director’s decision.

Man Utd-linked Ashworth

Newcastle United chief Dan Ashworth.

Ashworth has let the Magpies know of Manchester United’s approach and Eddie Howe’s side are now awaiting official contact from their Premier League rivals, which they expect in the coming days.

But Newcastle will inevitably and understandably not let any move go smoothly, and await the offer of ‘significant compensation’ if they are to allow Ashworth to start work at Manchester United immediately.

There is a 12-month gardening leave clause in the 52-year-old’s Newcastle contract and the Magpies ‘will insist that the full term is adhered to’.

That would make the 2025 summer transfer window Ashworth’s first in charge of transfers at Manchester United, a scenario they quite obviously want to avoid; they want him to start as soon as possible.

The only way around that for Manchester United is to increase their compensation package, a scenario similar to that which Newcastle faced in luring Ashworth from Brighton in the first place two years ago.

When Newcastle do hear from Manchester United, they ‘will make it clear they expect all the terms of his contract to be fulfilled’, unless Erik ten Hag’s side pay ‘even more money’ to break his contract.

Reports suggest an initial compensation figure to be around £10m. In a story for the Daily Telegraph, Luke Edwards and Sam Wallace quote a Newcastle club source as saying they will “not just roll over and let him leave”, that they are “very well protected” in terms of Ashworth’s contract”, and that they otherwise “do not comment on speculation”.

In that Mail article, Hope explains that Ashworth is tempted to join Manchester United because he ‘has not had as much control as he expected’ and ‘has found his remit limited’ at St James’ Park.

While ‘there has been no fallout’, the belief is ‘the prospect of having greater control’ elsewhere has helped convince Ashworth ‘the time is right to move on’.

Nevertheless, Manchester United must make it worth it – and soon if they want him in place to have any influence over the drastic summer transfer plans at Old Trafford.