Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite wants to move to Manchester United regardless of their lack of Champions League football, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, he said that the centre-back is “super keen” to make the switch to Old Trafford, with the £65-70million asking price being “crucial”.
Branthwaite is a key target at Manchester United this summer, but the Blues aren’t letting him leave on the cheap despite financial pressures [Liverpool Echo].
Romano said: “Branthwaite is super keen on the move, he would like to join Manchester United even if they are not playing Champions League football next season.
“The price will be crucial, and Everton at the moment believe they want at least £65-70million, so that’s why the deal, at the moment, is still not close.”
Jarrad Branthwaite transfer crucial to future Everton business
Branthwaite is the sort of player who an entire defence can be built around, but the financial challenges at Goodison Park this summer make that prospect look unlikely.
While a fire-sale of players seems to have been avoided following takeover developments between Farhad Moshiri and Dan Friedkin, that doesn’t change the fact that the club are still saddled with significant debt [Gazzetta dello Sport].
Of the several stars tipped to leave including Branthwaite, Jordan Pickford, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Amadou Onana, the only player seemingly certain not to be an Everton player next season is the latter [Het Laatste Nieuws].
While Onana commanding a £50million fee would alleviate some of the financial fair play queries hanging over the club, fetching an even higher amount for Branthwaite would go one step further.
Several alternate centre-back targets have already been lined up, with others reported to be included in the deal with Manchester United, but if Sean Dyche wants the cash injection needed to overhaul his squad this summer, Branthwaite could be a player who makes way [HITC].
In other Everton news, a Premier League rival has reacted to the Toffees’ transfer behaviour to follow suit.
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