Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to raid Premier League rivals to complete crucial first Man Utd signing

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly eyeing his first signing for Manchester United after his 25 per cent investment in the club was approved - and wants to raid one of the club's Premier League rivals.

Ratcliffe agreed a deal to acquire a minority share of 25 per cent in United in December, which would also see him take over footballing operations at Old Trafford through his petrochemicals company INEOS.

He has already agreed to make several key appointments to the United board as part of the deal, with former Team Sky cycling chief Sir Dave Brailsford currently conducting an audit into team operations.

United have also agreed to appoint Omar Berrada directly from Manchester City to become the club's chief executive officer, in a move that was reportedly led by INEOS.

On Tuesday, the Premier League announced that it had approved Ratcliffe's ownership deal, and was now awaiting 'confirmation of the transaction's completion'.

Once that is completed, Ratcliffe can get to work in bringing in more key personnel to reshape United's hierarchy - and he has set his sights on filling the vacant sporting director role that could be equally as critical as any players he might sign.

According to reports, the British billionaire wants Newcastle's Dan Ashworth to take over the role.

Ashworth has established robust recruitment departments at both Newcastle and Brighton, which aims to find young and talented players for low sums of money with a view to then becoming first team stars or future sales.

He previously worked for the FA as its director of elite development, and helped to create the 'England DNA' elite player development plan for the men's and women's senior teams.

According to talkSPORT, the 52-year-old former defender is keen on joining United, where he would spearhead an INEOS revolution at Old Trafford.

And the i claim that his appointment could lead to an exit for current United director of football John Murtough - the first person to ever take the role at the club when he was appointed in 2021 - with Ashworth then taking over as recruitment chief ahead of what has the potential to be an exciting new era.