Man Utd 'finalising agreement' with Mauricio Pochettino as final INEOS stumbling block emerges

Mauricio Pochettino is close to becoming the next head coach of Manchester United, it has been reported - but one final stumbling block has emerged.

United executives, including co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will meet in Monaco on Wednesday to make a final decision over current head coach Michael Carrick's future. It is understood that the decision has not yet been made.

But according to The Athletic, United have been in discussions with the representatives of United States men's national team coach Pochettino over the past 24 hours. It is 'anticipated' that the situation will progress towards the Argentine becoming the next manager in charge at Old Trafford. However, there is a key issue that needs to be overcome first.

Mauricio Pochettino in talks with Man Utd

The emergence of discussions between Pochettino's representatives and United represent the first significant development when it comes to the possible replacement of Carrick, who is still expected to take charge of training at Carrington on Wednesday.

But there is a reason why the Argentine himself appears yet to have been personally involved in those discussions - because United are yet to approach US Soccer.

It emerged on Tuesday that United would have to pay a compensation fee worth $10 million (£7.5m) to buy Pochettino out of his four-year contract with the USMNT after he signed an extension in August.

But The Athletic add that, should Pochettino be appointed by United, he would want to bring his backroom staff to Manchester and each of those staff members has specific compensation agreements written into their contracts.

More to follow...