Manchester United are reported to be “plotting a fresh bid” for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite as the club continues efforts to buttress Erik ten Hag’s defensive unit.
Branthwaite, 21, emerged as a key target for the Red Devils earlier in the summer following a breakout season at the heart of Sean Dyche’s defence for the centre-back.
Possessing an imposing 6’5 frame, combined with speed and technical quality, Branthwaite is the prototype of a modern defender.
The England international’s age, homegrown status and experience within the Premier League are just further qualities which convinced INEOS – who gained full control over the football operation, including recruitment, at Old Trafford in February – to designate him as a priority signing.
Two bids were tabled for the defender with the second in the region of £50 million (£45m plus £5m in add-ons) but Everton refused to compromise on their valuation of their defensive starlet, thought to be in excess of £70 million.
Officials at Goodison Park believe the prices paid by the Premier League’s elite for young centre-backs in recent years, namely Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City and Wesley Fofana to Chelsea, should apply to a talent as highly-rated as Branthwaite is.
From United’s perspective, this fee was considered excessive for a player with only twelve months of experience in the Toffees’ first-team, as well as the transfer budget at Old Trafford being constrained by the pressures of financial fair play regulations.
Yet the need for reinforcements in central defence following a dismal campaign last season remained.
A sensational swoop to sign 18-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro from LOSC Lille ahead of Europe’s heavyweights was quickly agreed after the second bid for Branthwaite was rejected. Yoro is considered the generational talent in his position and there was widespread acknowledgement of the signing by INEOS throughout footballing circles.
However, in only his second appearance for his new club during United’s pre-season tour of the US, Yoro was forced off the field in the first-half with an injury. It was a moment which produced immediate flashbacks to the horrors of the unrelenting injury crisis which decimated Ten Hag’s defence last year, with good reason.
Following a protracted period of silence by the club, United were eventually forced to admit their new signing had suffered a metatarsal injury which would require surgery. It was then revealed the 18-year-old would be ruled out for three months.
And it’s this unfortunate development, a report by The Sun reveals, which has led the club to consider a return to Merseyside with a “fresh bid” for Branthwaite, following a frustrating pursuit of other alternatives, including Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt.
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