A number of Manchester United defenders are on their way out! The club is so keen on the Everton comet. however, £75 million for a 21-year-old defender may be too much

Manchester United have had a really bad season and so far there are no signs of significant improvement. The arrival of an interesting player could change that, and Jarrad Branthwaite is definitely that! However, Everton value their young starlet at almost 90 million euros, which will surely put many clubs off. What about the Red Devils, who already have to keep a close eye on financial fair-play?

Manchester United or Bad defence and even worse attack

Manchester United certainly didn’t have the biggest problem in defence. The team hasn’t worked particularly well up front, with 57 league goals scored being, along with Crystal Palace, the lowest number of the top 10. If we then take the top 7 into account, we’re talking about a 20 goal difference.

It’s just that a number of Red Devils defenders are practically on the chopping block and several are expected to leave. Moreover, if we look at the age of those involved, it’s more than clear. Raphaël Varane (31 years old), Harry Maguire (31 years old), Victor Lindelöf (29 years old) and Jonny Evans (36 years old).

So the club’s management must look for new reinforcements, and several of them, if it wants to move on from the spot. At the same time, the commercial department has no small problem in maintaining financial fair-play due to the big purchases of the past. A number of players like Antony (€95m) or Mason Mount (€64m) are currently worth barely half that and monetising them makes virtually no sense.

The talented Jarrad Branthwaite

The skilful Carlisle native made his presence felt in the 2022/23 season when he was at PSV. He played a total of 37 games for the Dutch side. His great performances convinced Everton’s management to bring him back.

It was The Toffees who scouted him at Carlisle United in January 2020 and did not hesitate to pay €1.1 million for him. Now, after 4 years, they could cash in fabulously with the club valuing him at almost €90 million. However, according to ESPN sources, such a high amount will be a problem in Branthwaite’s eventual transfer to Old Trafford.

One thing is for sure though, Everton have defended the Premier League for next season despite deducting 8 points. In doing so, the club conceded only 51 goals, only three teams have done better – Arsenal (29), Manchester City (34) and Liverpool (41).

The 21-year-old stopper himself then played 35 league games, during which he also scored 3 goals. At the same time, he saw only 8 yellow cards and no red cards, which is a great result for a stopper. Together with James Tarkowski, they formed a duo that kept Everton afloat all season.

This would be a great signing for Manchester United, especially when we look back at the signings of the aforementioned Antony – Mount pair, who have been on fire at Old Trafford so far. But at the same time, it will be a problem to bring in such expensive talents because of this transfer policy of the past years. Moreover, there will surely be interest elsewhere for Branthwaite!

Source: ESPN, Facebook, Transfermarkt