Man United set to submit bid for Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite as club expect tough negotiation after Toffees slapped £70m price tag on the defender… with Matthijs de Ligt and Jean-Clair Todibo also of interest
- United are keen to sign a defender but are limited by FFP rulings
- They have identified Branthwaite as an option and plan to make a summer bid
- Listen on It all starts! Why England’s defense could prevent football from coming home
Manchester United are set to make a bid for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite after learning of his valuation.
United are looking to rebuild this summer after it was confirmed that Erik ten Hag would remain as manager under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS.
They are in the market for a defender and have identified Branthwaite as an option, with the highly rated defender able to earn struggling Everton a sizeable fee to help them off the field if he has to leave.
The Toffees have a £70million price tag on the 21-year-old, who enjoyed a breakthrough season under Sean Dyche after impressing on loan at PSV in the Netherlands the year before.
United will now look to do business as they look to land him their first summer signing, but must be wary of Financial Fair Play rulings if they want to negotiate.
Manchester United are set to make bid for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite after learning of his valuation
United are set to move on next season, with manager Erik ten Hag (left) remaining in charge of the club
Should Branthwaite prove too difficult to acquire, the Red Devils could move for Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich
It is expected that negotiations for the England man will take some time and will not be easy.
If the Red Devils are not successful in their approach, they can turn their attention to Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt as a backup option.
The Dutch defender’s future is unclear at Bayern under Vincent Kompany, with the likes of Eric Dier, Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano ahead of him in the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel.
The German side could therefore listen to bids, although United may not be able to spend too much money this summer.
Elsewhere, Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice, the other club that owns INEOS, remains an option as the new centre-back this summer.
Their transfer budget will depend on spending, with a number of players, including Mason Greenwood, possibly leaving the club.
However, signing a centre-back will be a certain priority with Raphael Varane leaving and Lisandro Martinez struggling with a number of injury problems last season.
Reports indicate that potential signings for Ten Hag were not overly impressed with the packages the club offered, including the transfer budget available to the club this summer.
The likes of Thomas Tuchel, Gareth Southgate and Mauricio Pochettino have been touted as potential replacements.
Jean-Clair Todibo (left) from Nice, the other club that owns INEOS, remains an option as new central defender
However, United are aware that they need to sell players to increase their transfer pot
United spoke to a number of managers and The times report that two of them did not find the proposal very attractive.
One is said to have been ‘astonished at the low pay he would receive if he took the job’.
Another was unimpressed by the transfer budget, which stands at around £50 million gross this summer.