Paolo Maldini is the latest name to be linked to an executive role at Manchester United as Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority stake to take sporting control of the club edges nearer.
The British billionaire is reportedly set to complete his purchase of 25 percent of United later this month and could be in charge of the sporting operation in the coming weeks, once the Premier League ratifies the deal.
United have recently made public the departure of their CEO, Richard Arnold, with legal counsel Patrick Stewart assuming an interim leadership role. Speculation suggests that Jean-Claude Blanc, a former executive at Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, is a frontrunner to permanently succeed Arnold in the coming year.
With Ratcliffe set to oversee more changes at the top of the club, John Murtough's director of football position is under threat given United's sizeable investments in the playing squad have not brought them closer to challenging Manchester City.
As such, there are a number of candidates for that role who have been linked with a move to Old Trafford.
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It was reported in The Telegraph on November 16 that Paolo Maldini was one of several candidates to become Manchester United's new sporting director.
The newspaper said that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will seek guidance from former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson over the best choice for the role. It is assumed that John Murtough, United's current Football Director, will leave.
Frederic Massara, who worked alongside Maldini as Milan's director of football, could potentially join him in moving to United.
Many will know Maldini for his standout career as a player at AC Milan. He is widely regarded as one of the best defenders the world
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