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Manchester United’s first port of call in the transfer market is strengthening the defence after the team conceded an unbelievable 85 goals in all competitions, breaking a 50-year record.
With Raphael Varane having left the club on a free, the club are trying to find the perfect replacement for the serial winner. However, their chase has proven to be much more difficult than expected.
Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton seemed to be the first-choice with the Red Devils agreeing personal terms with the centre-back but saw their first bid of £45 million rejected by the Toffees, who have remained adamant in their stance of valuing their star defender at £70 million.
United threatened to not bid any further unless the Merseyside club got realistic with their valuation but their alternate targets have also proven to be hard to acquire.
CB search has not been easy
Fellow Englishman Marc Guehi was one of those names but Crystal Palace are eyeing a contract extension in a bid to ward off potential suitors.
French gem Leny Yoro seems to be intent on a switch to Real Madrid instead of Old Trafford while United are embroiled in legal proceedings with UEFA over Jean-Clair Todibo.
Matthijs de Ligt is one of Erik ten Hag’s former proteges and United seem to be warming up to the idea of recruiting the Bayern Munich star but they need more than one centre-back this summer especially with Victor Lindelof also likely to depart.
considering Lisandro Martinez’s poor injury record last season and the lack of a left-footed defender, the 20-time English league champions have still not given up hope of persuading Sean Dyche’s team to sell Branthwaite.
However, Everton are in much better financial shape currently having moved on Ben Godfrey and Lewis Dobbin and have no interest in falling in line with United’s hardball approach.
According to The Sun, Pep Guardiola is reportedly a fan of the defender’s ability with the ball at his feet and he has asked Manchester City to try and acquire the 22-year-old, and in the process land a knockout blow to United.
City vs United for Jarrad
“Pep Guardiola could ruin Manchester United’s hopes of landing Everton’s £80 million-rated centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite. The Manchester City boss is understood to be impressed by his ability to play out from the back — and his defensive qualities.
“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.”
With Everton unlikely to entertain thoughts of a discount, it remains to be seen if any club offer the kind of money the Toffees are asking for.
Branthwaite was excellent for them last season but was not free of errors. He is still young and has only one season of English top flight experience. His current market value stands at €42 million (£36 million) according to Transfermarkt, in line with United’s opening offer.
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