Dan Ashworth is reportedly attempting to force through his transfer to Manchester United by bringing Newcastle to an arbitration hearing, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.
After deciding to depart for Old Trafford in February, the sports director was put on gardening leave.
However, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement about the compensation package that would enable him to begin working for the Red Devils.
Newcastle wants at least £15 million for Ashworth, but Manchester United are only prepared to offer £2 million, as was revealed earlier this week.
Thus, it seems the 53-year-old is unhappy with the progress of the discussions and intends to push the relocation through before his scheduled gardening vacation ends.
If the clubs can’t come to an agreement, Ashworth will be out for 18 months on gardening leave.
The former Brighton player seems to have been prompted to take action by the fact that this is becoming more probable; he is now seeking an arbitration hearing so that a neutral third party can resolve the case in court.
The Telegraph reports that Newcastle is certain they have a solid case against its ex-employee in the next hearing, which is scheduled to occur in the early weeks of May.
My hope is that this will come back to haunt Ashworth, Ratcliffe, and Manchester United, who seem to have forgotten that one cannot just terminate a contract and go into another employment without making restitution.
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