Jarrad Branthwaite on Manchester United’s list of centre-backs, not top target due to asking price | OneFootball

Manchester United’s transfer window in the summer is set to be the most crucial transfer window in the club for the last decade.

There are holes to be fixed, and culture to be reset, and all of that will be done under a new ownership and executive structure.

While cultural reset is not a one-summer job, holes in the squad can certainly be fixed and one of those holes is at the middle of the defence.

A new centre-back is sure to arrive in the summer due to the quickly evolving situation of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez’s injury worries.

Everton Jarrad Branthwaite has been mentioned as a top candidate for that position and now, Sky’s Florian Plettenberg reports that he is indeed on the list.

However, suggestions that he is the top candidate are far off the mark.

Plettenberg posted: “Yes, the 21 y/o from Everton is on the list of Manchester United and being scouted. Among many other candidates, as a new center-back is definitely supposed to come. However, I’m told that he’s not currently a top target. Especially not for the rumored price of around €93m.”

As long as Everton stick to their asking price, it is highly unlikely that United would play ball as that fee would put him up against the likes of Maguire and Gvardiol as the most expensive centre-backs of all time.

While Branthwaite has impressed at a distressed Everton this season, not many would argue that he has shown the kind of supreme world-class ability/potential to justify that outlay. A shocking outing against Chelsea yesterday will have done little to further his cause.

Therefore, it is understandable that United would pivot to other targets if that asking price doesn’t come down massively.

That is a possibility too as Everton seem to be forever on the precipice of breaking Profit and Sustainability rules.

Amadou Onana and Branthwaite are the two most high-value assets that can get them out of PSR purgatory in one quick swoop.

This saga is definitely one to keep an eye on but fans will be hoping that United don’t get ripped off the same way they did with Harry Maguire at the time.

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