Man United trying to emulate Liverpool success by targeting former transfer guru

Liverpool’s former sporting director Michael Edwards is being targeted by bitter rivals Manchester United, according to the latest reports.

Edwards, 43, has been in high demand since leaving Liverpool in 2022 and has only just confirmed his return to football last month, joining up with Liverpool’s former director of research Ian Graham in an advisory role at Ludonautics.

He spent just under six years on Merseyside, helping Jurgen Klopp to identify and sign players who eventually went on to secure multiple major honours.

And now United are looking to emulate such success by targeting him, according to a Football Insider report that Manchester United’s current sporting director, John Murtough, has come under scrutiny and his position at the club will not be guaranteed under the new regime.

The club reportedly view Michael Edwards as the perfect candidate for the job. United are also very keen on former Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Paul Mitchell.

However, due to Edwards’ role at Ludonautics - a consultancy group which works with various clubs and football club owners - he is unlikely to take on any full-time roles as a director anytime soon.

He has already turned down approaches from Chelsea and Manchester United since departing in 2022 after what was a hugely successful spell at Anfield.

During his time at the club, he oversaw the signings of Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Fabinho, Andy Robertson, Ibrahim Konate and he was also instrumental in the club securing one of the biggest sales of all time when Philippe Coutinho departed for Barcelona in 2018.

Furthermore, he managed to secure strong returns in sales of Mamadou Sakho, Dominic Solanke, Christian Benteke and Rhian Brewster, as well as securing Joel Matip on a free who has gone onto play 194 times for the club to date.

The spine of Van Dijk, Alisson and Salah remains incredibly strong to this day and, despite the fact that all three now in their 30’s, the trio are still three of the best around in their positions.