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Manchester United are ready to make a move on Brentford in order to secure a key figure for the future of the club.
While the Bees have already lost Bryan Mbeumo this summer to the Old Trafford outfit, the London side will soon be on the lookout for a new academy director, with the highly rated Stephen Torpey set to depart for Man Utd, BBC Sport reports.
United are looking to fill the position following Nick Cox agreeing to become Everton technical director.
Torpey a game-changing addition at Man Utd
Jason Wilcox, the technical director of Man Utd, has driven the move for Torpey to join him at Old Trafford having been impressed with his work at Manchester City.
Torpey has had an important role in developing players such as Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Romeo Lavia and Jadon Sancho in his career.
He fits into the Ineos philosophy at Man Utd of thinking outside the box, with a risk-taking approach that has been central to his success. In particular, he has sought to develop young players beyond the pitch, setting up a Human Development at Brentford that is designed to teach about the importance of a professional culture while also providing psychological support.
Crucially, he has a track record of providing pathways from the academy to the first team, which is something that Man Utd will want to exploit, having struggled to provide this effectively in recent years.
His departure, meanwhile, is a further blow to Brentford, who have already seen star players Mbeumo (Man Utd) and Christian Norgaard (Arsenal) depart along with manager Thomas Frank, who has gone to Tottenham.
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