Sir Jim Ratcliffe eyeing up raid on Prem rival for Man Utd’s new sporting director as he plots huge overhaul of club

SIR JIM RATCLIFFE has his sights set on poaching a sporting director from a Premier League rival, according to reports.

It is understood Ratcliffe, 71, is planning a major overhaul of the club’s football operations once his 25 per cent stake buy-in is completed.

PA

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has identified a target for Man Utd’s new sporting director[/caption]

And one position where a change of staff is expected to occur is in the role of sporting director.

The likes of Monaco director Paul Mitchell and Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth have been linked with the position.

But according to the Daily Star, Ratcliffe is looking to bring Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman into the fold.

And it means current technical director John Murtough and football director Darren Fletcher could be moved sideways or elsewhere.

Freedman, 49, has been in charge of the Eagles’ recruitment since 2017.

The Scot had spells with Palace, Nottingham Forest and Bolton as a player.

The report suggests Ratcliffe is impressed by his work at Palace.

He has also impressed Sir David Brailsford, who is assisting the proposed overhaul of Man Utd’s scouting and transfer departments.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

Dougie Freedman of Crystal Palace is the man said to be in the frameRex

Former Team GB cycling chief Brailsford is said to be pushing for Freedman to be involved.

The signings of Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze have seen his stock skyrocket in recent years.

Man Utd scraped a 1-0 win over Luton yesterday to make it four wins from their last five Premier League games, a stunning record considering the mood around the club.

While behind-the-scenes changes are expected to occur, Ratcliffe has also been brainstorming how he wants the Red Devils to look on the pitch.

Attacking trio Jadon Sancho, Antony and Anthony Martial are all on the chopping block in the January transfer window.

The likes of Jean-Clair Tobido, who stars for Ratcliffe-owned Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, has been tipped to make a switch to Old Trafford in the summer.

Ratcliffe is said to have decided NOT to build a new stadium to deal with Old Trafford’s issues but rather to invest £245m into improving it.

SunSport has also revealed how Copenhagen’s Man Utd conqueror Roony Bardghji has piqued the interest of the British billionaire.

However, before that Ratcliffe is set to demand an inquiry as to how the club managed to blow £1.4bn on transfers in the ten years since Sir Alex Ferguson left.

Freedman has been in charge of the Eagles transfers since 2017Rex

MAN UTD NEWS LIVE: Stay upto date with all of the latest transfer and takeover news from Old Trafford