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Manchester United have made a £45 million offer for Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.
It has been a badly kept secret that United are interested in the 21 year old, whose maiden campaign at Goodison Park earned him an England call-up.
Yesterday news broke that United have agreed personal terms with the centre back as they seek to fill the void left by the departing Raphael Varane.
This, it seems, has been swiftly followed by their opening bid for the player on the first day of the summer transfer window.
The Daily Mail report that “Everton have been insistent the 21-year-old is not for sale but there is recognition that a huge offer would have to be considered against a backdrop of financial uncertainty.
“Everton said they had had no contact from United this morning but the Old Trafford club have now made their first proposal as they look to instigate negotiations.
“United’s offer is likely to be rejected but their move to sign the left-sided defender is underway.”
The reason that the Toffees have adopted a “not for sale” stance is that they believe the defender will appreciate rapidly in value after another season in the Premier League.
They want to be able to command the kind of sum for the young star that Leicester City and Southampton received for Harry Maguire and Virgil van Dijk, respectively.
In terms of the “huge offer” they are looking for, figures of £70 million and £80 million have been reported.
However, Everton suffered two points deductions for breaches in financial fair play regulations last season and there have also been reports that they desperately need to sell players before June 30th to avoid further penalties.
United are no doubt acutely aware of this and may feel they can tempt the Toffees with something between this opening bid and the excessive amount demanded in Merseyside.
On the other hand, The Mail say that “negotiations for the England man may take time and won’t be straightforward.”
United have other centre back irons in the fire, including OGC Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt, Benfica’s Andre Silva, Sporting’s Gonçalo Inácio and Lille’s Leny Yoro. However, whilst potentially the most expensive option, Branthwaite has the advantage of being quite two footed and as such is comnfortable at both left and right centre back.
He is also the only option with Premier League experience under his belt.
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