Newcastle United 'target' ex-Liverpool transfer guru after Man Utd move for sporting director

Former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards is reportedly being targeted by Newcastle after Manchester United moved ahead with their own recruitment plans.

United, who are targeting the signing of Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth, are desperate to find success following the news that their investment from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Group Limited is finally moving ahead.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Ashworth has already said yes to United and he's prepared to accept their proposal as it's considered a big opportunity and project. He tweeted: "Understand Man United are intentioned to negotiate and pay compensation to Newcastle; they absolutely want Ashworth now, not in 2025." Recruitment on and off-the-pitch is a key focus of the new takeover and sounding out an experienced figure such as Ashworth, who has a brilliant track record from his time at Brighton and Newcastle, will help them get back on track.

The Daily Mail has claimed that should Ashworth leave Newcastle, “ex-Reds sporting director Michael Edwards is likely to emerge as a candidate to take the reins at Newcastle.” While Bournemouth’s current technical director, Richard Hughes, is also a potential candidate for the position. These movements from United have led to Newcastle sounding out a potential replacement which has seen them linked with Edwards who helped Jurgen Klopp mastermind a few brilliant years of transfer deals. He left the club in 2022 and was replaced by Julian Ward who then also departed in 2023. That saw Jorg Schmadtke arrive on a temporary contract as he helped with the summer and January recruitment.

During his time at the club, Edwards helped to bring in the likes Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker but he also helped to bring in big fees for Philippe Coutinho, Dominic Solanke and Rhian Brewster, to name a few.

Edwards took a break from football then before partnering with the club’s former research guru, Ian Graham, to launch a data advisory company named Ludonautics in 2023. The company is actively providing advice to football clubs, including Bolton Wanderers, leveraging their expertise in data analysis and research and he also previously rejected an offer to return to Liverpool in 2023 after Ward's exit.