ThewolfMan Utd are weighing up making a final offer for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite after the Toffees takeover collapse, according to reports.
The Red Devils are well underway with their summer transfer business in INEOS’ first window as co-owners after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s company bought 27.7 per cent of the Premier League club from the Glazer family.
Man Utd have already signed Netherlands international Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and young Frenchman Leny Yoro from Lille as their first two incomings of the Ratcliffe era.
Yoro is one of the two centre-back signings Man Utd are looking to make this summer with Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt and Everton’s Branthwaite the two players at the top of their list.
With Aston Villa set to sign Amadou Onana from Everton this summer for around £50m, it puts the Toffees in a stronger position to hold out for their full £75m original demand for Branthwaite.
Everton have already rejected two bids from Man Utd worth £43m and £50m before the Red Devils pulled back from a potential transfer as they sealed a deal for Yoro.
Former Man Utd defender Mikael Silvestre warned the Red Devils against paying Everton’s full demands for the England international after one good season in the Premier League.
On the Toffees’ £75m demands for Branthwaite, Silvestre said recently: “He’s overpriced right now. Very good player. One for the future who could definitely be an option for United but at that price, no way the club should do that.”
And now a report in the Daily Telegraph said that Man Utd’s ‘hopes of signing Jarrad Branthwaite could be resurrected following the collapse of Everton’s proposed takeover by the Friedkin Group’.
The group, led by the American billionaire Dan Friedkin who also owns a controlling stake in Italian side Roma, entered a period of exclusivity to negotiate a possible purchase on June 21.
However, the club said on Friday that no deal had been struck between Friedkin and Everton majority owner Farhad Moshiri’s company Blue Heaven Holdings.
‘The Old Trafford club have already had two bids worth £43million and £50million respectively including add-ons rejected by Everton and it now remains to be seen if they opt to make a third and final offer.
‘It is thought United would be unlikely to go higher than a total package worth around £55 million – not dissimilar to the Yoro fee – and have no intention of meeting Everton’s existing £75 million valuation of Branthwaite, which they consider excessive.
‘Old Trafford officials were keeping tight-lipped on Friday night and United also have other options in the position, namely De Ligt at Bayern Munich, even though he is not left-footed like Branthwaite.’
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