Defender 'agrees' £160,000 per week deal with Man United despite club rejecting their offer

Manchester United may have taken a huge stride in their attempt to finally sign Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton. The centre-back has been at the front of their transfer interest for a while now and despite the Toffees not willing to let him leave easily, United have been in talks with the player.

According to Football Insider, Branthwaite has ‘agreed terms’ with the Reds over a £160,000 per week deal at Old Trafford. This comes after United had an initial £35 million bid knocked back by Everton — they are reportedly expected to return with an improved offer but it won’t be as high as the £70-80 million price the Blues have set.

Ex-Everton chief Keith Wyness recently weighed in on his former side’s financial situation and described United’s initial offer for Branthwaite as ‘ridiculous’.

“Now we’re past the 30 June deadline, we’re in a position of strength,” he told Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast. “From what I’m told, we can refuse ridiculous offers, like the one we received for Jarrad Branthwaite from Man United. The whole football community can agree on that, and it hasn’t done United or Ratcliffe any favours.

“He’ll learn as he goes on — you can’t do that kind of thing. I’m hoping the Branthwaite situation will be resolved with him staying past this summer deadline.”

However, it seems that according to FI’s latest report, Branthwaite is keen on the idea of moving this summer, hence the decision to agree the £160,000 package tabled for him, despite no terms agreed between the two clubs. It is understood that the offer presented by the Reds would secure him a ‘huge’ increase in pay compared to what he is currently on at Goodison Park.

United aren’t the only ones interested in Branthwaite either. Neighbours and rivals Manchester City are also in pursuit of the 22-year-old and they are willing to ‘spend big’ on orchestrating a move. The Red Devils have their eyes on other targets like Matthijs de Ligt, should Branthwaite become unattainable, but the Everton star has been on their radar for a while now.

After turning heads with the Toffees, despite their troublesome season with another relegation scare, Branthwaite has earned the attention of Gareth Southgate as well. While he may not have made the final cut for England’s Euro 2024 run, he remains a big target on the transfer market. United will likely need to increase their bid significantly though if they want to persuade Everton to sell up, especially with City willing to pay a sizeable fee.