MAN UTD COULD MISS OUT ON JARRAD BRANTHWAITE TRANSFER TO FIERCE RIVALS WITH EVERTON NO LONGER DESPERATE TO SELL
Old Trafford rival Erik ten Hag also wants the 22-year-old but United’s opening £35m bid was laughed off by the Toffees.
Pep is thought to be pondering a move for Branthwaite, although Everton are no longer under pressure to sell fast.The Scousers raised £20m offloading Ben Godfrey to Atalanta and Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton do need to sell players to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules but will not let them go on the cheap.
United have also started to look elsewhere for alternative transfer targets.
The Red Devils have reportedly held talks with Matthijs de Ligt’s representatives ahead of a potential move.
Reports claim, though, that United are keen to sign both players and pair Branthwaite with the Dutchman in the centre of defence.
Branthwaite enjoyed a breakthrough season at Goodison Park last term after returning from a loan spell with PSV.
He scored three goals from defence in 35 Premier League appearances as the Toffees finished 15th.
Meanwhile, the defender signed a new deal through to 2027 back in October.
His performances for Sean Dyche’s side also caught the attention of Gareth Southgate.
The England boss handed Branthwaite a maiden international call-up in March for the matches against Brazil and Belgium.
Although he did not feature, Branthwaite retained his place in the squad for the preliminary list of players for Euro 2024.
However, after making his debut against Bosnia & Herzegovina, he was cut from the final 26-man squad.Manchester United’s interest in Jarrad Branthwaite is part of their effort to strengthen their defense, but their initial £35 million bid was rejected by Everton. Erik ten Hag is keen to bring Branthwaite to Old Trafford and pair him with Matthijs de Ligt, whom United have also approached. Despite the financial pressure to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules, Everton are not desperate to sell quickly after generating £20 million from the sales of Ben Godfrey and Lewis Dobbin. Branthwaite had a strong season at Everton and has caught the attention of the England national team, earning his debut but not making the final Euro 2024 squad.
