Man United handed huge boost as Everton drop £70m demand for Jarrad Branthwaite -Report

Man United handed huge boost as Everton drop £70m demand for Jarrad Branthwaite -Report

A source suggests that Everton might now be willing to accept an offer that is substantially lower than their initial asking price, which would give Manchester United a big advantage in their pursuit of Jarrad Branthwaite.

The Red Devils’ two summertime bids for the England defender were rejected by their Premier League opponents, with their best offer reportedly valued at almost £50 million with add-ons.

Jarrad Branthwaite (photo by Getty images)

Transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano stated last month that although Branthwaite isn’t actively pressing for a move to Old Trafford, the 21-year-old “is keen on the move,” with Man Utd hoping Everton lowers their £70 million asking price.

“At the moment, they have no intention to negotiate, no intention to accept £45million, £50million, £55million – so it has to be completely different numbers in order to make the deal happen,” he said.

“Manchester United hope this stance will change; they know that also in this case, the player is keen on the move but it depends on the club.

“Everton are not an easy club to negotiate with, so at the moment the situation remains on standby still between the two clubs.”

United were given further hope as a report claimed Branthwaite ‘is not intending to sign a new deal at Everton unless they can match the £160,000 a week being offered by’ the Red Devils.

That may go some way to explaining why Everton, according to The Sun, would now be ‘interested’ in an offer of £50m.

‘United would be prepared to go that far in order to land the player’ (because they essentially have already) as ‘a club source believes he and Leny Yoro could go on to be a central defensive pairing which United can build their team around’.

Yoro – who joined the club this summer from Lille for £52m – faced a frustrating wait for his Premier League debut after suffering an injury in pre-season which is set to keep him out of the team for three months.

With that in mind, United are scouring the market for further centre-back options.

An offer for Matthijs de Ligt was reportedly rejected by Bayern Munich, though a transfer expert is convinced he and Noussair Mazraoui will be on their way to Old Trafford this month.

But United are also looking at signing a free transfer to bolster Erik ten Hag’s defensive options, with reports in Spain claim ‘official contact’ has been made with Hermoso following the 29-year-old’s exit from Atletico Madrid.