Man Utd wants Jarrad Branthwaite, an Everton star, before July.
After their lacklustre on the field last season, Manchester United is looking to add players to their roster this summer as new owners INEOS oversee a massive rebuild at Old Trafford. One potential addition is Jarrad Branthwaite, as the club reportedly hopes to finalise a deal for the Everton center-back by the end of the month.
With an early Carabao Cup elimination and a last-place finish in their Champions League group, United’s eighth-place Premier League result last season was their lowest since they rebranded from the First Division. Only their FA Cup victory could have made up for it. As a result, many stars are on the verge of being cut, and players like Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane have left the team, making room for new players. And Branthwaite might be one of them, as the Liverpool Echo reports that United is keeping an eye on the young player, even though the Toffees won’t give him away cheaply.
According to the publication, transfer chiefs at United are now anticipating a deal to be completed by June 30, the deadline set by the Profit and Sustainability Rules that allows clubs to maximise their balance sheets before to the start of the Premier League’s new financial year. Everton will not want to go down this road again after losing eight points the previous season, therefore they must collect funds before the deadline in order to prevent any issues with point deductions the next season.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Last season, Everton’s third-joint top striker, Jarrad Branthwaite, scored three goals in the Premier League.
The Toffees are requesting a transfer fee of £75 million for the former Carlisle United star, which would match their record sale price. Romelu Lukaku made a similar move to the Red Devils seven years prior, for the same amount.
It would have been problematic had Southgate not removed Branthwaite from his provisional squad, but his absence makes a deal far more permissible and has allowed United to move forward. The FA has prohibited clubs, agents, and players from contacting each other over potential moves if they are in the England team at EURO 2024.
According to reports, Everton is adamant that Branthwaite won’t be let go cheap, considering the star to be in the same league as other centre backs who have gone for comparable prices. Described by Jamie Carragher as “pretty special,” Everton values him similarly to Harry Maguire, Josko Gvardiol, and Wesley Fofana. This is especially true considering that he is a homegrown player and has a three-year contract, which is important because clubs need to register eight English stars to meet their quota for squad registration.
For many, Branthwaite’s exclusion from Southgate’s England squad came as a major shock. Compared to Joe Gomez, who hasn’t played much in the middle of defence this season, Lewis Dunk hasn’t had the best season wearing a Brighton shirt, and it was assumed that Branthwaite would at least be included in the squad following Maguire’s injury exclusion. However, his rejection caused surprise, and Carragher went on to say that the child ought to have been on the flight to Germany.
Despite the Toffees young player’s outstanding season, Southgate stated that it was “too early” for him to break into the team. Instead, focus will be on the 2026 World Cup, which will be the player’s first international competition.
Leave a Reply