Man United already have greenlight to complete £80m Everton star transfer from teammate

Man United already have greenlight to complete £80m Everton star transfer from teammate

Manchester united ha e made Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite a priority target ahead of the summer transfer window.

And while he isn’t yet believed to have given the green light over a transfer, his team-mate Ashley Young has backed him to make the step up.

The former United captain starred alongside Branthwaite in Everton’s defence last season, seeing first-hand why he is recognised as one of Europe’s brightest young centre-backs.

But he may have played his last game alongside the 21-year-old amid strong interest from Old Trafford and Everton’s requirement to raise funds before the end of June.

England manager Gareth Southgate named Branthwaite in his preliminary 33-man squad at the start of the final preparations for Euro 2024.

Branthwaite earned his first cap against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday but missed out on the 26-man group set to travel to Germany this coming week.

Southgate may have done United a significant favour with his decision to name the Everton centre-back among the seven omitted English players.

The Toffees face having to sell players before the PSR cut-off on June 30, and Branthwaite’s involvement at Euro 2024 would have likely forced any suitors to wait until July to make a move.

He is available now, though, although his England exclusion has sparked concerns about whether he’s ready for a blockbuster switch.

But Young has rubbished suggestions that this summer could be too soon for a transfer to United, backing the left-footed starlet’s quality.

“I wouldn’t say so [United is too soon], no. Not at all. I think he’s ready for the step up,” Young told talkSPORT near the end of the season.

“Obviously, there’s interest from other clubs that are finishing in the top half of the table- rightly so, because I know what kind of player he is and where he can get to.

“I can see him, if it’s not with us at Everton, taking us further, then with a team that’s maybe offering him Champions League football.

“He’s definitely a player that can go and play in the Champions League and play in the big tournaments.”

United can’t offer Champions League football after finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, a record low.

However, their FA Cup triumph booked a Europa League spot, and they have never been absent from Europe’s elite competition for longer than one season.

Branthwaite has been identified as Raphael Varane’s long-term successor at Old Trafford, and a move before the end of the month is expected once the transfer window opens on Friday.