Mourinho offers Jim Ratcliffe verdict as 'Man Utd talks for £34m star begin'
It is an extremely busy time at Manchester United, where the imminent arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team is sparking major movement behind the scenes.
Ratcliffe is close to officially taking over sporting control of the club, with his 25 per cent stake buyout having been given the green light by the Premier League and FA. The petrochemicals billionaire has big plans for the club he has supported since childhood, with many hires expected in senior positions.
Omar Berrada has already been poached from Manchester City to become chief executive – and United are now chasing Dan Ashworth as the next piece of the jigsaw.
The Newcastle sporting director is open to the move and if he does take the job, he won’t be the only one arriving at Old Trafford in the coming months. With that in mind, here are the latest pieces of news involving United.
Mourinho's verdict on Ratcliffe
Jose Mourinho has a good feeling about Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking charge at Manchester United. The Portuguese boss was sacked by the club way back in December 2018, but he clearly has positive feelings towards them.
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Speaking on Rio Ferdinand's VIBE with FIVE podcast, Mourinho said: “I know Jim Ratcliffe well, I know him very, very well. We had good relations from years ago. I have a very good feeling.
“He’s also a sportsman, he loves it which is a very important thing and comes with experience from other experiences from other sports, cycling, I have a good feeling that things can go in the right direction and I hope so. I really hope so.”
United targeting new appointments
Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox with January signing Joe Rothwell (Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images)Ashworth isn’t the only person United want to hire. They are also chasing Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox, according to The Athletic.
United have contacted Ashworth to become their new director of football and want to get Wilcox in a role underneath him. The 52-year-old spent nine years with Manchester City before joining Saints in January 2023 to work on the revival under Russell Martin. He previously worked with Omar Berrada at City. Berrada has left the club to join United as their new chief executive in the INEOS era.
Meanwhile, Ashworth also wants to bring Brighton's head of recruitment, Sam Jewell, with him, although Chelsea are also intent on acquiring his services. Ashworth hired Jewell in 2016 as Brighton's head of under-21 recruitment and he wants his services again if he takes the United job.
United 'in talks' for £34m star
Giorgio Scalvini is a transfer target for Manchester United (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)Erik ten Hag’s side have approached Atalanta to discuss signing defender Giorgio Scalvini, according to reports in Italy. Calciomercato says United and Borussia Dortmund have both been in contact over signing Scalvini and that Atalanta have set an asking price of £34million. The 20-year-old centre-back is under contract with Atalanta until June 2028 and has already made 82 appearances for the club.
United are known to be in the market for central defenders this summer, with doubts over the futures of Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof. Ten Hag favourite Lisandro Martinez has also been blighted by injuries of late, highlighting the need for reinforcements.
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