Manchester United are still in the hunt for Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite despite having two bids rejected for his services – and Fabrizio Romano has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT that the defender won’t be signing for the Red Devils as things stand, with talks for his services coming to a ‘standby’ after Everton made their stance known.
Branthwaite was one of Everton’s most influential players in his breakthrough season at Goodison Park, scoring three goals for the Toffees from defence whilst also being incredibly resilient at the back alongside Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski as the Toffees cruised to a 15th-placed finish despite having an eight-point deduction for breaching FFP regulations. That has seen United register their interest in his services but a deal could be tough to do, with Romano revealing that Everton have ‘no intention’ to negotiate with United for the youngster.
The situation has been further complicated with Amadou Onana’s imminent move to Aston Villa, which further strenghtens the Merseyside outfit’s financial situation.
Branthwaite Has Been United’s Main Target
The centre-back has seen two bids submitted for his services
News filtered through in June that United had made a bid of around £35million for the defender, which was rejected out of hand by Everton – and after weeks of failing to make a bid, the Red Devils burst out of nowhere to make a bid totalling £50million for the 22-year-old.
| Jarrad Branthwaite’s Premier League statistics – Everton squad ranking | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stats | Output | Squad rank |
| Appearances | 35 | =4th |
| Goals | 3 | =4th |
| Aerial Duels Won Per Game | 2.7 | 3rd |
| Clearances Per Game | 4.5 | 2nd |
| Match rating | 6.90 | 3rd |
This too was rejected by Everton, but United are getting closer to the £70million touted as the fee that would land Branthwaite after an impressive season under Sean Dyche, and with their recruitment plans starting to take shape alongside the pursuits of Dutch duo Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee, developments will be interesting to see over the coming weeks.
Romano: Everton Have “No Intention” to Negotiate
The Toffees don’t want to lose their young star
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, Romano stated that Everton are not budging in their valuation of the defender, and though Branthwaite is keen on a move, the Toffees are a tough team to break down and as a result, the situation is in standby. He said:
“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.
“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’s Previous Everton Dealings Could be Handy
Plenty of talents have switched Goodison Park for Old Trafford
Everton do have a history of selling to Manchester United in the past for their biggest stars. Wayne Rooney was one of the first to begin the trend after his £27million move to Old Trafford back in 2004, and following on from that, Marouane Fellaini has also joined the trend alongside Romelu Lukaku, who moved for an incredible £75million rising to £90million back in 2017.
Branthwaite could be the next on the conveyor belt, with a huge bid needed to prise the young Cumbrian to the Theatre of Dreams; but there will be hope on the Red Devils’ side that a deal can progress in the coming weeks as Erik ten Hag looks to bolster his squad to make United a force in terms of Champions League qualification once again.