Manchester United ask Everton to set realistic price for Jarrad Branthwaite

After a season in which the club conceded 85 goals in all competitions including letting in three or more goals on 15 separate occasions, it is no wonder that Manchester United have been prioritising strengthening at the back first and foremost.

The Red Devils are currently in the middle of intense negotiations for priority target Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton and saw their first bid of around £45 million get rejected.

The Toffees are standing firm on their valuation of £70 million with United expected to submit an improved bid which will still not come close to that insane valuation.

It must be remembered that Sean Dyche’s team are under the PSR scanner and need to offload players before June ends in order to steer clear of further trouble.

Negotiations on for Jarrad

So far, they are not budging with reports even indicating that they are unwilling to sell the Englishman, who missed out on Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.

United have threatened to walk away from the negotiating table with The Peoples Person relaying recently that Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace as emerged as a possible alternative.

Now, The Mirror have reported that the 20-time English league champions have told the team from Merseyside to get “realistic” with their valuations if they intend to do business.

It must be remembered that the England international only has one full season in the English top-flight under his belt and he had also committed a few errors

The 21-year-old, who has already agreed on personal terms with the Old Trafford side, has a current market value of around £36 million as per Transfermarkt.

“Manchester United are confident they can wrap up a deal quickly for Jarrad Branthwaite – but only if Everton get “realistic” about their asking price. United have offered £35 million plus £8m in add-ons for Branthwaite.

United want Everton to get realistic

“Everton have rejected that initial bid and have told United they want in the region of £70m for 21-year-old centre-back Branthwaite, who only has one full Premier League season to his name.

“United have stood firm on their original offer for Brathwaite and have told Everton to adopt a more “realistic” stance with regard to the player’s true market value if they want to do a deal.”

United’s own financial struggles mean they currently have only a purse of around £50 million which they intend to increase through player sales.

It will be intriguing to see which team drops their guard first. For now, INEOS are showing their resolve with their hard stance when it comes to negotiations. It remains to be seen if the approach pays dividends in the end.

Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.