Ritchie told the official website: "I have talked with Sir Alex Ferguson and he has told me that we can talk to Daniel if we wanted and we have managed to get Manchester United to release him on a free transfer at the end of the season. We want to get Daniel on board on a long term contract and that would be a massive boost to the club.
"I have spoken with Daniel and he will sit down with the chairman as well so hopefully we can get is discussions soon.
"Daniel loves it here and he is enjoying his football now. That has shown in the goals he has scored in recent weeks so hopefully we can have a positive conversation and get him signed."