Tottenham flop to help Man Utd sign £80m star in staggering transfer twist

Manchester United are edging closer to the signing of Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite as the Toffees have decided on his surprise replacement, according to reports.

Branthwaite has excelled under Sean Dyche this season, having shown he can compete with top-level strikers during his 41 appearances. Not only is the Englishman strong and great in the air, he is also good with the ball at his feet and can play out from the back comfortably.

These traits, plus the fact the left-footed centre-back is still only 21 years old, have seen him emerge as a top target for Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Man Utd.

Ratcliffe hopes to create a strong British core at Old Trafford once again and believes capturing Branthwaite would help to kickstart that process.

It recently emerged that Man Utd are planning to bid £50-55million for the youngster. However, some negotiations will need to be done before a deal is agreed, as Everton want to hold out for as much as £80m before letting him go.

Ratcliffe will soon have to sit down with his Everton counterparts and thrash out terms. But behind the scenes, confidence is growing that Man Utd can snare Branthwaite in a statement summer transfer.

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According to CaughtOffside, Everton are already preparing for life without the uncapped England international and have made a decision on who his replacement will be.

Incredibly, it is claimed that Everton are planning to bring former Tottenham Hotspur defender Davinson Sanchez back to the Premier League.

Man Utd transfers: Tottenham flop could help deal

The centre-half left Tottenham last summer by joining Turkish giants Galatasaray in a deal worth just over £8m. Sanchez has put in some dominant performances for Galatasaray and Everton scouts have been impressed, prompting talk of a shock deal.

Everton are not the only club in the mix for Sanchez, as West Ham United, Fulham and Napoli are all interested, too.

Everton could sell Branthwaite for a huge fee before landing Sanchez in a transfer worth around £15-20m.

Spurs fans would be surprised if Sanchez returned to England so soon after leaving. The 27-year-old was on Spurs’ books between 2017 and 2023 but never lived up to his huge £42m price tag, which was a club record at the time.

Sanchez seemed to lack the positional awareness needed to become an elite defender, while he was also guilty of some bad errors. Due to this, Everton fans will be hoping he has seriously improved during his spell in Turkey.

For Man Utd, if Ratcliffe is successful in his pursuit of Branthwaite then the Red Devils could have an entirely new centre-back partnership next season.