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Manchester United’s pursuit of Jarrad Branthwaite is all but over as Everton are finalising an agreement to sell Amadou Onana to Aston Villa.
The Red Devils have prioritised centre back reinforcements this summer as they have agreed a fee with LOSC Lille for Leny Yoro and are awaiting his decision on whether he will accept United’s offer now or wait for his preferred choice of Real Madrid later in the summer or next year.
Erik ten Hag’s side are also reportedly close to sealing a deal for Bayern Munich defender, Matthijs de Ligt.
The first defender that United set their eyes on this summer however was Jarrad Branthwaite but according to the ultra-reliable reporter from The Athletic, David Ornstein, “Aston Villa’s move for Amadou Onana (subject to completion) all-but ends any chance of Everton selling United target Jarrad Branthwaite this summer.”
Nonetheless, it is stated that Everton could still agree to a deal to sell the 22 year old defender but it would require a “huge bid” along the lines of what Harry Maguire, Wesley Fofana or Joško Gvardiol were sold for, otherwise he “will stay” at Everton.
🚨 Aston Villa move for Amadou Onana (subject to completion) all-but ends any chance of Everton selling #MUFC target Jarrad Branthwaite this summer. Barring huge bids – Maguire, Fofana, Gvardiol benchmark – 22yo centre-back will stay at #EFC @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/FsES59q1L2
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 13, 2024
Maguire was famously bought by United for an incredible £80 million, Fofana moved to Chelsea for £75 million and Gvardiol was bought by Manchester City for €90 million.
These sort of fees would be incredibly problematic for United as they have a number of transfer targets and do not have an unlimited budget due to PSR restrictions.
The sale of the Belgian Onana would somewhat ease Everton’s financial difficulties and remove any sort of pressure United would wish to place on the Toffees to back down from their massive asking price.
The Red Devils had a bid of £45 million rejected in June for the defender.
United returned with a second bid in July that reached £50 million after add-ons but it was rejected out of hand.
There have been mixed reports in regard to how eager Branthwaite is to leave. Some reports have said he is growing “impatient” with the lack of progress in a deal while others state that he is content to stay at Everton should a deal fail to materialise this summer.
It has been suggested that United will return with a third effort to sign the Carlisle born defender but if Everton truly will not lower their asking price, this seems highly unlikely.
In addition, should United get a deal over the line for De Ligt and get a positive response from Yoro, United’s interest, for at least this summer, could certainly be shelved.
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