Dougie Freedman is Crystal Palace 'club legend' with Man Utd move unlikely | OneFootball

Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman's future is in doubt with Manchester United reportedly interested in acquiring his services, but journalist Dean Jones has provided a positive update to GIVEMESPORT on whether he's likely to depart.

Plenty of changes are currently ongoing at Old Trafford as United look to go in a different direction, and Palace could become a victim in this situation. Freedman has done a superb job at Selhurst Park and the Eagles are building a young squad with plenty of talent, so losing him would certainly be a huge negative for the capital club.

Freedman is a fan favourite at Palace after spending a large part of his playing career with the club. Although Roy Hodgson's side might not be where they want to be in terms of pushing for European places, Palace have become a stable club in the Premier League.

Manchester United want Dougie Freedman

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to acquire a 25% stake in Manchester United, changes are already happening at Old Trafford, with Richard Arnold already set to depart before the end of the year. One target for Ratcliffe as he looks to reshuffle United's backroom team is Palace's Freedman and it's understood that his eye for talent and diligence with targets is a potential reason for the Manchester club to consider trying to tempt him with a move to Old Trafford.

Speaking on United's potential interest in Freedman, Palace chairman Steve Parish has denied that his club have had any contact regarding Freedman departing for Manchester...

"You would have to get into the minds of those people (Manchester United decision-makers) wouldn't you? I certainly don't think there's been any conversations. It's flattering for the club. You guys live in the world where 50 per cent of the stories in the media are true. 50 per cent are not. We just don't know which ones yet."

Whether Freedman would be interested in moving to the Red Devils remains to be seen, but thankfully for Palace fans, the connection he has with the club could be enough to convince him to continue with the project he's building at Selhurst Park. The Palace sporting director has played a part in bringing the likes of Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, and Marc Guehi to the club for nominal fees, and the Eagles could likely make significant profits on the trio of players - a sustainable business model for football clubs.

Dean Jones update

Jones has suggested that Palace are confident that they can convince Freedman to stay at Selhurst Park and there's been no contact from Manchester United so far to try and prise him away from the club. The journalist adds that the project at Palace suits Freedman and he's currently flourishing in the role, and it's going to take a lot for him to leave in the near future. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said...

Crystal Palace are preparing for the January window

Palace fans will be hoping that Freedman can continue to work his magic when the winter window opens for business. The model at Selhurst Park has been to sign young, up-and-coming talent for small fees, offering them a place to grow and develop as players in a comfortable environment.

Replacing Wilfried Zaha could be the priority for Palace in the upcoming window after they failed to do so in the summer. Matheus Franca was brought in, a player who could play in a similar role, but the Brazilian is still a young talent learning his trade. Per TEAMtalk, Palace are one of many clubs showing an interest in Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, who is enjoying an impressive season in the Championship.