Man United ‘Expect’ to complete the signing of £75m Premier league star in a matter of days

Man United ‘Expect’ to complete the signing of £75m Premier league star in a matter of days

Manchester United are “expecting” to complete the transfer of Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite in the coming days, according to a credible report.

Branthwaite has been a leading target for Man Utd for several months, but the deal is expected to accelerate very quickly from this point, with the Liverpool Echo indicating that the Toffees will struggle to keep hold of the 21-year-old.

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The report states that Old Trafford chiefs “expect” that a deal will be done before 30 June.

Although it has been reported that Everton will need to make some big sales before the end of the month in order to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), the Echo claims there is a different catalyst for a move now.

It says that Branthwaite being left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad has effectively given Man Utd the green light to hurry through a move.

Despite their financial plight, Everton are holding out for a substantial fee. It is claimed that they put him in the same bracket as Harry Maguire, who left Leicester for Man Utd in the summer of 2019.

The Echo adds: “Club insiders maintain that if a member of Sean Dyche’s squad is sold it will only be because a suitor has met their valuation and the player themselves wants to leave plus Branthwaite, whose current Everton contract runs until 2027, is also considered to have a premium on his valuation given that he is both English and left-footed.”

In reality, though, Man Utd hold the balance of power in this transfer negotiation due to Everton’s need to sell. Last season, the Toffees were dragged into a relegation battle because of points deductions brought about by PSR breaches and a similar scenario this time around could see them relegated to the Championship for the first time.

The delicate nature of this deal means it is difficult to predict what Branthwaite’s transfer fee will ultimately be, with the Man Utd target given an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €26.2m (£22.2m) – a figure that has risen rapidly since the beginning of the season