Man Utd transfer news: Jarrad Branthwaite ‘reacts’ to stalling £70m transfer

Manchester United-linked Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite is reportedly growing annoyed with the lack of progress over a possible move to Old Trafford.

The England international is thought to have been identified as one of the Red Devils’ leading rearguard targets for the summer window but has so far been priced out of a summer transfer.

It is believed that Everton value Branthwaite in the same bracket as Harry Maguire and Josko Gvardiol and are therefore looking for £80m to sell, although a deal could be done for closer to £70m.

However, Man United are currently nowhere near meeting Everton’s valuation and reportedly tested the waters with a bid of just £35m, which could have risen to £43m with add-ons.

Branthwaite ‘frustrated’ as Matthijs de Ligt movement made

According to The Mirror, the lack of progress has left the 22-year-old incredibly frustrated, indicating that he wants a switch to Old Trafford to go through ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

However, Everton are under no immediate pressure to sell their prized asset on the cheap, as he only signed a new contract back in October and is tied to Sean Dyche‘s side until the summer of 2027.

There were fears that the Toffees may have had to facilitate a summer exodus had they suffered relegation to the Championship, and funds do still need to be raised as a matter of priority.

Everton have already generated over £20m through the sales of Ben Godfrey to Atalanta BC and Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa, though, and both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Amadou Onana could soon depart for sizeable fees as well.

With Everton currently showing no signs of softening their stance on Branthwaite, the Red Devils are believed to have switched their focus to Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt, one of Erik ten Hag‘s former Ajax proteges.