How Man Utd finally snapped up Dan Ashworth after Newcastle slashed demands in 11th-hour talks before PSR deadline

NEWCASTLE slashed their demands for £20million in compensation from Manchester United for Dan Ashworth to avoid being hit with a points deduction next season.

SunSport has learned that Newcastle accepted an offer of significantly less than £10m from their rivals in 11th-hour talks before Sunday’s PSR deadline.

PA

Man Utd have agreed a compensation package with Newcastle for Dan Ashworth after 11th-hour talks[/caption]

PA

Newcastle’s worries over a potential PSR breach led to them agreeing to a deal of less than half the £20m they wanted[/caption]

Newcastle had been demanding £20m from the Red Devils to secure the release of Ashworth this summer and were insisting he would be held to the final 12 months of his contract.

But in a major U-turn, the club re-opened talks over the weekend and reached a deal worth less than half of their original asking price due to concerns about being charged by the Premier League for a PSR breach.

Newcastle had already raised almost £70m last week through the sales of Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson to Brighton and Nottingham Forest respectively, with their desperate need to receive compensation for Ashworth showing the extent of their PSR problems.

The bitter case seemed set to go to arbitration after Newcastle rejected an offer of £3m from Man Utd.

But an unexpected compromise deal was reached yesterday which will allow Ashworth to start work at Old Trafford immediately.

Under Premier League PSR rules, clubs are only allowed to lose £105m over a three-year period.

Newcastle would have breached the limit without last week’s frantic player trading, leaving them in danger of following Everton and Forest in being docked points.

The Magpies were so concerned at being charged with a PSR breach last week that they even contemplated selling some of Eddie Howe‘s key players, particularly after Minteh refused to join Lyon, as revealed by SunSport.

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Initial talks were held with Chelsea over Alexander Isak and Liverpool over Anthony Gordon, but neither transfer came close to taking place.

Newcastle and Man Utd declined to comment on their Ashworth agreement.

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