Manchester United could be set to do battle with Arsenal for Luis Campos, Paris Saint-Germain’s football adviser with a penchant for signing young players, as they look to regroup after Dan Ashworth’s shock exit.
It is not clear if United will appoint another sporting director after they were so unhappy with how Ashworth was working out that he departed after only five months in the job, with one source saying there were “too many cooks” at the top of the club’s new hierarchical structure.
If Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos do decide to give another sporting director a chance, several sources claimed Campos will be top of their wish list, even if they will face fierce competition from Arsenal as they look to replace another surprise departure in Edu.
Campos ticks many boxes for United. He is Portuguese for a start, slotting in well with fellow countryman Ruben Amorim and his entire coaching staff, making discussions over a long-term vision for the club – Ineos’ top priority – much easier.
Alongside president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the 60-year-old has helped oversee a drastic change of philosophy in his role at PSG since being appointed as football advisor in 2022.
The club have moved on from their Galactico approach – signing marquee names such as Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi and Neymar when they are past their best – with the focus now on young, hungry arrivals like Joao Neves, Vitinha and Desire Doue.
He made his name at Monaco as sporting director, helping assemble a now infamous young team, many of whom secured moves to the Premier League – Anthony Martial, James Rodriguez and Bernardo Silva to name a few.
Such an outlook fits in well with what Ratcliffe and Ineos are trying to do at United, with the club’s previous transfer policy of signing big names like Casemiro past their prime at odds with how they want to conduct their business going forward. Amorim is also a keen advocate of youth.
Campos’s contract is up at the end of the season, with the Portuguese understood to be keen on penning a new deal. PSG are yet to indicate whether any offer will be forthcoming.
Other names linked with United are Dougie Freedman at Crystal Palace, after he was initially of interest before Ashworth was brought in, and Atletico Madrid’s Andrea Berta.
Luis Campos’s most notable transfers
Monaco
- James Rodriguez (£37m from Porto in 2013)
- Radamel Falcao (£35.8m from Atletico Madrid in 2013)
- Joao Moutinho (£20.8m from Porto in 2013)
- Bernardo Silva (£13.1m from Benfica in 2014)
- Fabinho (£5m from Rio Ave in 2015)
Lille
- Victor Osimhen (£17m from Royal Charleroi in 2019)
- Angel Gomes (free agent from Man Utd in 2020)
- Rafael Leao (£17m from Sporting Lisbon in 2018)
- Jonathan David (£22m from Gent in 2020)
- Gabriel Magalhaes (3m from Avai in 2017)
There is no rush at United for any replacement to be sought, if at all.
Technical director Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell are well set up to oversee any upcoming transfer activity, with Omar Berrada very much in control of any structural change.
It was Berrada who fronted United’s swift pursuit of Amorim, not Ashworth.
Sir Dave Brailsford remains an ever-present in the director’s box and is very hands-on on a daily basis, as is Ineos chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc.
Ratcliffe has, however, always insisted on getting the “best in class” in senior positions at Old Trafford, so may well swoop for another sporting director, having learned lessons from Ashworth’s surprisingly short stay.
