Jarrad Branthwaite to Man United transfer: £35m bid, personal terms ‘agreed’, Everton stance

Manchester United have long been rumoured to hold interest in Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite following his impressive defensive displays under Sean Dyche over the 2023/24 campaign.

Having played 90 minutes in all but one of his 35 Premier League appearances this season, the 21-year-old was also included in Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man England squad ahead of the European Championships but was cut from the group as one of the seven players to not make it into the final 26.

Following the departure of Raphael Varane at the end of the season, and the likely upcoming exit of Jonny Evans at the end of his contract, Erik ten Hag's priority this season must be to bolster up his defensive ranks after their calamitous displays throughout the past few months.

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Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Willy Kambwala would be the remaining quartet of centre-backs and it's clear now the Dutchman seeks to add Branthwaite to that list. With Everton also in financial trouble, it'd be no surprise to see them cash in on the star this summer in order to both balance out their books in terms of the Premier League's PSRs (Profit and Sustainability Regulations) as well as drum up some funds amid an ownership crisis that saw their prospective deal with 777 Partners fall through rapidly.

The Toffees are said to hold Branthwaite in the same class as the likes of Maguire, who United splashed £80m on to bring him over from Leicester City back in 2019, and are likely to want to command a similar fee from the Red Devils after their primary new