Newcastle United have missed out on one of their leading targets for the role of sporting director in Marc Overmars, according to The Athletic.

The lowdown

After talks between the two parties were initiated last week, the Magpies confirmed the appointment of Eddie Howe as Steve Bruce's permanent replacement on Monday afternoon, but they also want to bring in a sporting director to work in tandem with their new manager.

The 48-year-old, who is regarded as one of the game's leading operators according to a report for The Athletic, is thought to earn £800,000 per year in his current post at Ajax and has previously been targeted by Arsenal, who he represented as a player (via The Mirror).

The latest

According to The Athletic, Overmars was apparently one of the most prominent candidates for the role, but Ajax were desperate to keep hold of him and he has duly agreed to remain at the Johann Cruyff ArenA.

Having only held initial talks with potential sporting directors up to this point, Newcastle's owners may now make it a priority after completing the search for a new manager by appointing Howe today.

The verdict

Appointing Overmars would have made the most sense if Erik ten Hag was heading to Tyneside - indeed, The Northern Echo's Scott Wilson reported last month that Overmars made clear to Newcastle that this would be a 'prerequisite'. However, with the club instead hiring Howe as manager, that could have nixed any chances of the Dutchman taking the sporting director reins at St James' Park.

Fortunately for the Magpies, there are plenty of excellent candidates still available, among them Luis Campos, the architect of Lille's Ligue 1 triumph, and Liverpool's soon to be out-of-contract guru Michael Edwards (via The Telegraph).

In other news, Newcastle are eyeing this striker