Newcastle join Man Utd in chase for recruitment chief and trusted Sir Alex Ferguson ally

Newcastle are eyeing up Dougie Freedman as their next sporting director - but Manchester United could provide competition.

The Crystal Palace chief has forged a reputation as one of the Premier League's smartest operators. His talent spotting has helped keep the Eagles competitive whilst several of his signings have had huge sell-on value, which has also helped the south London outfit.

Newcastle are on the lookout for a man to replace Dan Ashworth, who has been placed on gardening leave. United are looking to add him to their staff and a battle regarding compensation is currently ongoing.

The Magpies are looking to fill his void with Freedman high on their list of candidates, reports the Daily Mail. The Red Devils, who have wasted no time in making changes under new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are also keen on adding Freedman to their staff list.

United are long-time admirers of the Scot and, despite the appointment of Jason Wilcox as technical director and Ashworth’s expected arrival, they will not stop looking to add talented individuals who can aid with their transfer business and overall operations.

Freedman, formerly a manager at Palace, Bolton and Nottingham Forest, is a long-term ally of United great Sir Alex Ferguson. The pair first met back in 2011 when Palace eliminated Ferguson's team from the League Cup and have remained in touch ever since.

The Palace man sat in the director's box as the Eagles saw off Newcastle earlier this week. Several of the Magpies' major names were also close by as they look to ensure their own project remains on track. The club have huge wealth and are expected to be active in the market once again.

Newcastle need a man to replace the outgoing Dan Ashworth
(Image: Richard Lee/REX/Shutterstock)

Freedman has helped add Michael Olise, who is now on the radar of several top clubs and will represent a massive profit if he does eventually moved on. The Palace sporting director also oversaw the £26million signing of Mamadou Sakho from Liverpool in 2017 - the second most expensive signing in the club's history.

His other notable signings include the £18m purchase of Cheick Doucoure from Lens, Eberechi Eze's £16m move from QPR and the £15m they paid Lyon for defender Joachim Andersen.