Man United are ready to make a sizable offer to Everton in an effort to sign Jarrad Branthwaite.
Manchester United will lose Raphael Varane this summer. There’s also a chance that Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans could also leave. Hence, signing at least one new centre-half is an absolute must.
Several names have been linked with filling that void. Perhaps none more so than Jarrad Branthwaite. The Everton man has enjoyed an excellent campaign for the Merseyside club, earning himself England call-ups and proving his worth both domestically and internationally.
Now, the Daily Mail have provided another update on that front, claiming that United are now ‘prepared’ to offer £55m to sign the 21-year-old this summer.
Although Everton’s stance has always been that Branthwaite is not for sale, they may be forced into parting with one of their prized assets. The club may need to sell in order to meet FFP and Premier League Profit & Sustainability rules, amid their search for new owners.
It’s believed that Everton value Branthwaite at closer to the £80m mark, though you’d like to think that United could negotiate that price down, even if just a little.
In terms of signings, Branthwaite should be near the top of the list. He’s a class footballer, who’d offer United some consistency in an area of the field where they’ve had none recently. Yes, it would be a large chunk of the transfer budget gone, but this is someone who can also offer longevity. We could quite easily be looking at our centre-half for the next decade.
No doubt other clubs would show an interest in signing Branthwaite, so it may prove difficult to beat out the competition, particularly with no Champions League football on offer.
Do you think a Man United move to sign Jarrad Branthwaite would make sense? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
