Manchester United are set to appoint Adidas executive Matt Hargreaves to lead their football negotiations.
Hargreaves, who has a legal background and is a United fan, will replace Matt Judge, who left his role as director of football negotiations last year.
Hargreaves is working a notice period as marketing director with the global sports manufacturer, but is set to start at Old Trafford before the summer transfer window opens.
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The Athletic reported earlier this year that Tom Keane, who had assisted the club’s summer business as head of football negotiations on secondment, had returned to a former role with law firm Brandsmiths.
Keane worked with football director John Murtough on deals for Casemiro and Antony last summer after Judge’s departure.
Hargreaves’ impending arrival is a boost to manager Erik ten Hag as he plots reinforcements and seeks to tie several key players — including Marcus Rashford and David de Gea.
United had been aware of Hargreaves’ work through their kit deal with Adidas, which has run since the 2015-16 campaign.
The appointment of Hargreaves is the latest in a restructuring of United’s football department which has included the hiring of David Harrison as head of football operations, Andy O’Boyle as deputy football director and Dominic Jordan as director of data science.
This summer could see significant change at Old Trafford after the Glazer family initiated a sale process.
A delegation representing Qatari royal Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani held talks with United chiefs over a proposed takeover on Thursday, with British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team travelling to Old Trafford on Friday.
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