Manchester United have submitted an opening bid of £43million for the Everton centre back Jarrad Branthwaite.
The offer, which came on Friday, is a fixed fee of £35million with £8million in adds-on that would be activated only if the player or the club reach certain milestones.
It is expected that Everton will reject United’s bid because they value the 21-year-old at £70million.
Everton’s stance on Branthwaite is, in part, because they have been hoping to sell Amadou Onana before the end of the month and satisfy their profit and sustainability issues that way. They believe they can make a profit on the Belgium midfielder, who joined from Lille for £34million in the summer of 2022. He is valued in excess of £50million and Aston Villa and Paris St Germain have made enquiries for the 22-year-old. Arsenal have had a long-standing interest in Onana, but are not presently ready to press ahead with interest.
The Times revealed on Thursday that United had agreed personal terms with the Englishman in the hope of making him their first signing of the summer window. Should a deal be struck, Branthwaite, who just missed out on England’s Euro 2024 squad, would be paid between £150,000 and £160,000 a week, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations.
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The signing would be a big statement by United, who this week decided that their Dutch manager, Erik ten Hag, would remain in charge for next season after the club’s FA Cup final success. Significantly, they are understood to have moved quickly on the day the transfer window opened.
Branthwaite is seen as one of the most in-demand defenders in the Premier League after playing a leading role in securing Everton’s top-flight status, despite the club being docked a total of eight points for two breaches of Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
However, Everton’s financial situation means they may need to cash in on their young star to keep within the PSR limit of financial losses for this season.
Branthwaite, who was brought up in Cumbria, is something of a rarity as a two-footed, left-sided, English centre half, which is another reason why Everton may believe he is worth a substantial transfer fee.
At 6ft 4in, he is also commanding in the air and has been one of Everton’s top players for tackles and interceptions.
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Ten Hag has identified a constant stream of injuries among central defenders as hampering his plans last season — he even resorted to playing the Brazilian midfielder Casemiro in that position.
United are believed to be targeting two new centre backs, with Raphaël Varane’s contract expiring after three years at Old Trafford and uncertainty around Jonny Evans’s future.
Liverpool and Manchester United are waiting in the wings should Real Madrid’s interest in the defensive prodigy Leny Yoro collapse.
The 18-year-old Lille centre back is regarded as generational talent and will be allowed to leave this summer for a fee of about £50million.
Real want Yoro, who attended their Champions League final success over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley two weeks ago, but Liverpool and United are also waiting in the hope that a deal stalls and they can pounce.
