Top management in London to ensure Manchester United misses out on Manager

Manchester United will not like the news coming out from North London as Daniel Levy has vowed not let Mauricio Pochettino join the Red Devils even for a massive £50million.

The Tottenham chairman has made it clear to his board he plans to reject any Old Trafford approach at the end of the season. And that is even if they offer more than the value of Poch’s contract.

Levy has told friends he regards the club’s Argentinian boss so highly he cannot risk losing him. United visit Spurs at Wembley tomorrow on the back of five straight wins, with interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to succeed Jose Mourinho on a permanent basis.

But Pochettino remains United’s No 1 choice — and while the Spurs chief claimed yesterday he is the only man in football who enjoys negotiating with tough cookie Levy, he will NOT be able to talk his way to Old Trafford.

Poch has four years left on a deal worth £34m. And United are tempted to pay it in full, plus an additional £16m for the world’s most wanted football coach. But Levy, who convinced Poch to sign a new contract last May, fully expects his manager to honour his agreement.

And he is even prepared to give Poch the last word on all transfers. While United are desperate to land Pochettino in the summer, they have been compiling a shortlist of alternatives if they cannot convince him.

It is thought by some at Spurs that Levy might be more willing to talk if Real Madrid approach Poch and the manager indicated he wanted to go. But the ailing Spanish giants are currently more likely to try to re-appoint Mourinho instead.

Pochettino, who does not have an agent, negotiated his current deal directly with Levy last spring. And Poch, 46, said: “For me it was not difficult — I think it was more difficult for him than me because I am the manager and he cannot upset me.

“If we are talking about extending a contract or giving me more money, you need to be careful. With agents, you can say anything that you want and the agent will manage the situation. But when you are talking directly to your manager, you need to be careful as one word can change the negotiation or change your mind.”

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