Sir Jim Ratcliffe is eager to get through the door at Old Trafford so he can start work on turning the fortunes of the Manchester club around and the INEOS CEO is targeting a former Liverpool man for a vital role.

The British businessman would have hoped to have had his deal for 25 per cent of Man United done by now but things are still rumbling on regarding the takeover.

The Glazer family and Ratcliffe are still discussing the legal points of the ownership structure as the deal has been described by those involved as one of the most complicated in the long recent list of football takeovers, due to the distinctive condition of the minority owner taking full control of the sporting side of the club, reports The Independent.

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According to the report,  former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards is admired by INEOS for that same role at Man United, with Paul Mitchell and Dougie Freedman also under consideration. However, it is still uncertain whether Edwards would want to get back into football having left the Merseyside club back in the summer of 2022.

The Englishman played a crucial role in Klopp’s success at Anfield, delivering the German coach some exceptional players, who were signed as part of deals considered valuable.

Edwards famously told Klopp to bring Mohamed Salah to Anfield and the Egyptian has since gone on to become one of the greatest players in the Reds’ history.

The former Sporting Director would be a great asset for Ratcliffe at Man United but the INEOS CEO and his staff want to properly survey how the club works before making firm decisions.

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Former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards is being linked with the same role at West Ham as the Hammer set about establishing the position at the London club. 

Changes are expected at West Ham this summer in an attempt to address misgivings over their recent transfer strategy. A sporting director is set to be appointed and there are a number of potential candidates linked to the role.

According to the Guardian, potential candidates have already been identified and include the former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards, Monaco’s Paul Mitchell, Brentford’s Lee Dykes and Atalanta’s Lee Congerton. There have also been discussions with Victor Orta, who recently parted company with Leeds, but the Spaniard is regarded as an unlikely appointment.

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Edwards did an immense job at Liverpool and played a big role in helping the Reds win every trophy whilst he was there with his transfer dealings.

The Englishman has been highly sought-after since and was even linked with a move to Man United last year.

The appointment of Edwards would be a huge coup for West Ham but only time will tell who will occupy the role at the Hammers throughout the upcoming transfer window.

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Man United are in a great position to sign former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards which will come as devastating news to Reds fans. 

Edwards was the architect behind Liverpool’s outstanding transfer business during the Jurgen Klopp era and was responsible for the signings of stars such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker.

The 42-year-old was at Anfield for 11 years and left at the end of last season in search of a new challenge.

Edwards is currently on a sabbatical from football but is reportedly ready to return at the end of the current season, which is when Manchester United plan to recruit him.

Man United are reportedly looking to bring in a new sporting director to head up their new recruitment team, making Edwards their top target.

Football Insider report that United remain well on course to finalise terms with the 42-year-old and will wait until next summer for him to join.

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Talks are set to advance regardless of the growing uncertainty behind the scenes at the club after the Glazers put the Manchester outfit up for sale this week.

Chelsea are also said to be interested in Edwards, according to the report, but Old Trafford looks likely to be his next destination, which will hurt Liverpool fans as they know how good Edwards is at his job.

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Sky journalist Melissa Reddy has had her say on the big changes going on behind the scenes at Liverpool FC right now, which sounds a little concerning, all in all.

The Reds have been hugely successful in recent years due to the stability of their project, but Michael Edwards recently left the club, and his replacement Julian Ward has now also decided to move on after just one season.

Liverpool’s owners FSG have also put the club up for sale, while Reddy has also mentioned names like Ian Graham and Mike Gordon as key figures behind the scenes who are taking a step back, in what she described as worrying developments for the Merseyside giants…

Worrying developments at LFC in critical roles. Michael Edwards’ exit was sizeable enough, now his successor Julian Ward, and director of research Ian Graham – widely viewed as the best in the business – will also depart, all as Mike Gordon takes a step back. Too much change ?

— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) November 24, 2022

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LFC supporters will just have to hope that Jurgen Klopp can stay as manager, as he surely remains one of the most important figures at the club.

Still, it seems far from ideal that all this change is going on to a regime that had been working so well.

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Manchester United are interested in bringing former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards to Old Trafford but he is not close to joining anytime soon as no decision has been made yet on his future. 

That is according to Ben Jacobs, who reports that nothing is imminent regarding Edwards’ arrival at the Manchester club – even with a view to next summer – as the former Liverpool man is keeping all his options open as he looks for his next role in football.

This comes after Football Insider reported that Man United are optimistic about luring Edwards back to work ahead of Premier League rivals Chelsea, with the report stating that the Red Devils are close to agreeing a deal with the 43-year-old and are willing to wait until next summer for him to join.

Manchester United do like Michael Edwards, but he is not close to joining. Edwards has made no decision on his next role and is keeping all options open. Nothing is imminent (even with a view to next summer).

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) October 25, 2022

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Edwards left Liverpool during the summer after spending the last 11 years at the Merseyside club having joined in 2011.

The former Reds sporting director was replaced Julian Ward after Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, made repeated unsuccessful attempts to persuade Edwards to extend his contract, reports Sky Sports.

The 43-year-old is yet to decide on his next move but it is likely that it could see him return to the Premier League.

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Manchester United are reportedly confident of appointing former Liverpool transfer chief Michael Edwards ahead of rivals Chelsea.

The Red Devils could do with more expertise in their recruitment department after some struggles in recent transfer windows, and Edwards has a terrific record from recent spell at Anfield.

Edwards was instrumental in Liverpool signing the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, and it’s not too surprising that he continues to be linked with big clubs since leaving the Reds.

According to Football Insider, Man Utd are now optimistic that they can lure Edwards back to work ahead of rivals Chelsea.

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The report notes that Edwards has been keen to take a sabbatical since leaving Liverpool, so it remains to be seen if United or Chelsea can tempt him to return to work just yet.

MUFC fans will surely hope a deal can be done, however, as it could transform their fortunes and get them the players they need to be a force again.

The post Manchester United confident of beating Chelsea to world class transfer guru appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea have renewed their interest in former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards, as Todd Boehly seeks to fill the vacant position at Stamford Bridge.

According to 90min, the Blues have made fresh contact with Edwards who has maintained his stance that ‘he will not return to work this season.’

Edwards left Liverpool after enjoying a hugely successful 11-year period at the club and new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, who was ‘thoroughly impressed’ with his ‘outstanding transfer record’, made him the club’s top target for the position of sporting director.

The report also confirms that a summer approach by Chelsea was rejected by Edwards who has been on a break since leaving Liverpool.

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Following the departures of Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech, the Blues have yet to find a replacement for the position in West London. They have, however, almost completed a deal for the position of technical director, with Christopher Vivell reportedly agreeing to terms after leaving RB Leipzig.

Boehly is not giving up on Michael Edwards with the report stating that the American is now ‘exploring a deal’ that would allow the former Liverpool man to take charge from the 1st of July. This, however, depends on whether Edwards would be interested in such a deal but according to the report Chelsea are willing to wait for him as they don’t seem to be in any hurry to fill the vacant position.

The post Chelsea make fresh approach to sign former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea are reportedly set to hold a second round of talks with several candidates to become the club’s new sporting director this week.

According to The Athletic, this is following the Blues’ struggles to hire previous candidates Christoph Freund, who ended up staying at Red Bull Salzburg, and former Liverpool transfer guru Michael Edwards.

Todd Boehly has been busy since buying Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, funding a major summer spending spree on new players like Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Wesley Fofana, whilst also recently changing the manager, with Graham Potter coming in to replace Thomas Tuchel.

A new sporting director now makes sense as a top priority for the Chelsea board, but it remains to be seen who could end up coming in.

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It’s gone a bit more quiet in terms of names being concretely linked with the vacant role at Stamford Bridge, but we may hear a bit more about it later this week after this next round of meetings.

Even more excitingly, The Athletic add that Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Christopher Nkunku for a transfer next summer, and that they look ready to pay his release clause at RB Leipzig.

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Former Liverpool chief Michael Edwards was reportedly blown away big a big offer from Chelsea back in August.

The former Reds transfer guru is highly regarded after some tremendous work during his time at Anfield, including hugely successful signings such as Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Edwards could therefore surely be a good fit for Chelsea right now, with the Blues in need of someone to take over from Marina Granovskaia, who was key to the club’s transfer strategy under previous owner Roman Abramovich.

Todd Boehly has had to cope without a sporting director so far, however, so it’s surely going to be a priority for the club to bring someone in as soon as possible.

According to Ben Jacobs in the Twitter thread below, Edwards is one who’s been approached, but it seems he remains keen to take time out of football, despite being wowed by Chelsea’s offer…

Edwards was "blown away" by the project but still firm that he was not available in the short- or medium- term. He wants a full-year break from football.

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) September 11, 2022

Chelsea fans will hope Edwards can be persuaded in the future, while other promising names may also be in the frame.

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Jacobs also mentions Luis Campos, who has a strong record from his time at clubs like Monaco and Lille, while he’s currently in an advisory role at Paris Saint-Germain.

This could make him a more realistic target, but Edwards’ success with Liverpool shows that he’s surely one of the best a Premier League club could hope to hire.

The post Sporting director “blown away” by Chelsea project and “outstanding offer” but Blues made to wait for deal appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea have three candidates in mind for the sporting director role, with the club’s owner Todd Boehly keen to have someone appointed before the January transfer window.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, with the transfer news expert providing his latest insight into Chelsea’s efforts to replace Marina Granovskaia and provide the best candidate to work alongside new manager Graham Potter.

“All the names are still secret, there are three candidates in the list but Todd Boehly wants to decide before the January transfer window. I think Chelsea absolutely needs to appoint a director ready to work together with Graham Potter on every single point of the squad,” Romano said.

“Former Liverpool man Michael Edwards would be a great call but it’s not easy to convince him. He was approached by Chelsea before but wants a break. Maxwell was another name on the club’s list, but my understanding was that this was never advanced.”

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Chelsea fans will hope their club can bring in someone to improve their work in the transfer market after a difficult summer, with Boehly left to take on much of the responsibility for negotiating deals.

The Blues were busy, bringing in big names like Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Wesley Fofana, but it remains to be seen how successful a summer it will prove to be, with these new faces still settling in, and results not yet what fans will have been expecting.

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