Man Utd have had a fresh bid for Jarrad Banthwaite rejected and they may be forced to walk away from talks with Everton.

Everything has a price and it’s just what you’re willing to pay for it.

Everton value Jarrad Branthwaite between £70million and £80m and Manchester United aren’t currently prepared, or able, to increase their bid into that lofty region.

The cash flow at Old Trafford is tighter than in previous summers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new regime are conscious of how they are perceived in their first window in charge.

Ratcliffe is aware United have wasted over £1billion on scattergun recruitment over the last decade and wants to change the club’s reputation in the market. That will take time and many windows, and spending £75m on Branthwaite at the first opportunity would send the wrong message.

United’s first offer of an initial £35m, with a further £8m in add-ons, for Branthwaite was never going to be accepted, although there is still hope an agreement can be reached.

The second bid, which was knocked back this week, offered Everton £45million plus £5m in add-ons for Branthwaite and that was more acceptable, but there’s still a difference in opinion.

Understandably, Everton don’t want to lose Branthwaite, who has enjoyed just one full season playing first-team football at Goodison Park, and they recently made two sales to comply with the Premier League’s suffocating, and likely to change, profitability and sustainability rules.

Everton received £20m from the sales of Ben Godfrey and Lewis Dobbin, which will help them keep hold of Branthwaite. Other clubs in the Premier League have adopted the same policy and sold a few ‘lesser’ players before June 30, which is the end of the financial year.

The sales of ‘lesser’ players help Premier League sides keep their prized assets – Everton view Branthwaite as theirs. The Toffees consider the centre-back as a future starter for England and they are hanging tough in negotiations with United, which was always expected.

Branthwaite is a two-footed centre-back, which increases his value, and he’d be a shrewd addition at United, providing the fee isn’t heavily inflated. He could be signed to play in central defence for the next 10 years and, naturally, his rise has been compared to John Stones’ on Merseyside.

A source close to Everton has described Branthwaite as a ‘really likeable young lad, who is popular among his peers’, and pointed out he won the club’s Players’ Player of the Season award. He ticks all the boxes for a move to Old Trafford, but United will be forced to walk away from the deal if the price isn’t right and they are already moving closer to that stage.

Everton might be tempted to accept £60m for Branthwaite but United’s opening two bids suggests it could take another round of talks to match that sort of transfer fee.

How a deal for £60m is structured will also be crucial. Everton would be reluctant to accept £55m plus £5m in add-ons and a higher initial fee may be necessary for a breakthrough.