Manchester United are set to complete a stunning swoop for Manchester City chief Omar Berrada and make him their new CEO.
Previous incumbent RIchard Arnold left Old Trafford back in November as INEOS continued talks to buy a 25% stake in the club.
Berrada was chief football operations officer at City Football Group, playing a major role behind the scenes in their success in recent years and working closely with director of football Txiki Begiristain. However, his departure from last season’s treble winners has now been confirmed.
A City statement to The Athletic reads: “Manchester City Football Club can confirm that Omar Berrada has resigned from his role as chief football operations officer at City Football Group.
“The club understands his decision to look for a new challenge and he leaves with our thanks and best wishes.”
Berrada’s role at Man Utd will see him work in both football and business sectors at Old Trafford and sit on the club board of directors, also reporting to the new stakeholders.
The move was reportedly driven by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group with approval from the Glazers. Berrada previously worked as a senior business development manager and head of sponsorship for Barcelona and – should his appointment become official – he will replace current interim CEO Patrick Stewart, who took the role following Arnold’s exit.
It’s one of the first major decisions taken by Ratcliffe, whose deal at United is still awaiting Premier League ratification. INEOS employee Jean-Claude Blanc had previously been touted as the Red Devils’ next CEO, having previously improved the fortunes of Juventus with his work on the Allianz Stadium.
