MANCHESTER UNITED are reportedly keen to appoint a first ever director of football, with Marc Overmars and Luis Campos part of a five-man shortlist.
United owners the Glazers, as well as chief-executive Ed Woodward, are eager to hire someone to oversee the club’s recruitment after a string of poor transfers in recent years.
Marc Overmars and Edwin Van de Sar currently work together at AjaxCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Luis Campos has left Lille this week after a restructuring at the French clubCredit: Getty – Contributor
Luis Campos, the man who unearthed Kylian Mbappe and Anthony Martial, has left his role at Lille, with the Daily Mail reporting United are free to snap him up.
The 55-year-old also recruited Fabinho and Thomas Lemar on free transfers while at Monaco, as well as bagging £63million for Nicolas Pepe when he was sold to Arsenal.
The Red Devils have been chasing a director of football for some time, with club legend Edwin Van de Sar previously linked with taking up the role at Old Trafford.
Van de Sar’s Ajax colleague Marc Overmars is also a name on the Glazers’ shortlist, with Overmars set to leave Ajax at the end of the season.
Overmars is currently the director of football at Ajax, and is credited for playing a major role in assembling the young Ajax side that reached the Champions League semi-final in 2019.
That side boasted the likes of Matthijis de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek.
However, Overmars is also attracting interest from Arsenal, with some Gunners fans not happy with the dealings of current technical director Edu.
Overmars spent three years of his playing career at the Emirates, and won a Premier League title in North London.
Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell, who has spent time at Southampton and Manchester United, is also on Manchester United’s radar.
Despite some successful recruitment in the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Anthony Martial, United’s transfer business in recent years has been questionable to say the least.
The likes of Angel di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Memphis Depay spring to mind.
However, the appointment of a director of football could filter out the flops, and potentially find some exciting talent to partner Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
