Newcastle closing in on new director of football as Premier League rivals prepare for exit
Newcastle United are closing in on the appointment of a new director of football to replace Dan Ashworth, according to reports.
In his latest piece for the i, Mark Douglas reveals that another set of interviews were held by Toon chiefs in recent days, with the final round of discussions scheduled over the next week before a decision is made.
Interestingly, Douglas reports that Crystal Palace are exploring their options to replace Dougie Freedman now the Eagles chief has emerged as one of the 'front runners' for the job. Man Utd are also showing interest, hoping he'll join Ashworth at Old Trafford in a major off-field overhaul.
The Mail's Craig Hope claims that Freedman is the preferred choice for 'some key figures' at the club and has made the 'final three' ahead of interviews with chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
The Athletic have also confirmed that the highly-rated 49-year-old has reached the closing stages of the process, but insist he is not the only name in the running, with Newcastle planning to announce Ashworth's replacement after our final game of the season in just over two weeks time.
