Man Utd have just submitted opening bid to sign Branthwaite, personal terms agreed | OneFootball

Manchester United have made an opening bid worth £45 million to sign Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, according to the Daily Mail.

The Red Devils have identified the 21-year-old as their top centre-back target, and personal terms were agreed with him on Thursday evening.

They have now made a formal offer to sign the defender, but the £45m proposal is likely to be rejected by the Merseyside outfit.

The Toffees insist that Branthwaite is not for sale this summer, but there is an acceptance that they cannot turn down a huge bid.

United must not pay over the odds for Branthwaite

Branthwaite had a brilliant season with Everton in the Premier League. He was superb defensively, winning 68 percent of his ground and aerial duels.

He also registered 1.9 tackles, 4.5 clearances and 5.2 recoveries per game for the Toffees. Branthwaite kept 12 clean sheets over the league campaign.

The youngster’s passing accuracy was 80 percent. That should improve at the Red Devils, where he would have better players in front of him.

Branthwaite played as a left centre-back for Everton last term, but he found success in the right centre-back role during his loan spell with PSV Eindhoven.

This could be a prime reason why United is pushing to sign him. Although he is predominantly left-footed, he is also quite comfortable playing with his right.

Everton are eyeing £70m for his potential sale, but United should negotiate the price considering the Toffees’ ongoing financial woes.

They have started the negotiations at a lower sum of £45m. United should ideally look to secure an agreement for around £55m.

The club should avoid paying over the odds, which was a regular tendency under the Glazers.

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS now in control of footballing operations, the club should be more intelligent with the money spent in the transfer market.

Stats from Sofascore.com.