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News24 - Matt Judge is the Man United 's de facto chief negotiator
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As the process of Manchester United appointing a new technical director continues, it is business as usual at Old Trafford.Transfer targets have been identified, negotiations initiated and offers made as United embark on a major rebuild this summer.The man leading the project is, of course, Ed Woodward, the club's executive vice-chairman who has been calling the shots on a day-to-day basis since David Gill left United along with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, and will continue to do so. Woodward has become an increasingly high-profile character in the six years since, as you would expect from the figurehead of one of the world's biggest football clubs who has overseen a raft of big-name signings.On the other hand, very little is known about the right-hand man who has advised Woodward on those deals and been responsible for negotiating the majority of them since 2016.Search for Matt Judge on the internet and just one – unconfirmed – photograph exists of a tall, balding man walking behind Woodward in club suit and tie. There is no picture on his LinkedIn page. The bio reads simply: 'Managing Manchester United's equity and debt capital structure – three equity offerings incl the IPO, totalling over $450m; and three debt refinancings ($1bn+) – debt private placement, term-loan and RCF. Also player negotiations (transfers and playing contracts).'It is the final sentence that makes Judge such a key figure at United these days. A man with a Masters degree in economics from Bristol University – where Woodward also studied – and 13 years of experience in investment banking, his qualifications to be United's head of corporate development speak for themselves.But it is not a title you would necessarily associate with the wheeling and dealing usually left to a director of football, and that is what makes Judge such an intriguing character. UNITED'S SIGNINGS SINCE SUMMER 2016 United have spent £377.9million on transfer since Matt Judge was entrusted with negotiating transfer deals and contracts in 2016... Here's how the money has been spent: Eric Bailly - £30m - from Villarreal, June 2016Zlatan Ibrahimovic - free - from Paris Saint-Germain, July 2016Henrikh Mkhitaryan - £26m - from Borussia Dortmund, July 2016Paul Pogba - £89m - from Juventus, August 2016 Victor Lindelof - £30m - from Benfica, July 2017Romelu Lukaku - £75m - from Everton, July 2017Nemanja Matic - £40m - from Chelsea, July 2017 Alexis Sanchez - swap deal - from Arsenal, January 2018 Diogo Dalot - £17.4m - from Porto, July 2018Fred - £52m - from Shakhtar Donetsk, July 2018Lee Grant - £1.5m - from Stoke City, July 2018Paul Woolston - free - from Newcastle United, November 2018 Daniel James - £17m - from Swansea City, July 2019 He joined United in 2012 but has been trusted by Woodward to negotiate transfer deals and contracts since 2016, the summer that Paul Pogba returned to Old Trafford in a then world-record £89million deal.Pogba, of course, could end up back out the door this summer afte
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