Everton respond to Man Utd's second Jarrad Branthwaite bid - report
- Man Utd raised bid for Branthwaite to £50m
- Everton still holding firm to £70m price tag
- Matthijs de Ligt also a target for Red Devils
By Tom Gott
Everton have rejected a second offer from Manchester United for centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, reports have revealed.
Last month, United opened the bidding for Branthwaite with an offer of £35m, which was quickly knocked back as Everton highlighted their £70m asking price for the 22-year-old.
Now, the Daily Mail were the first to reveal that United had raised their bid to £50m - £45m plus £5m in add-ons - in the hope of convincing Everton sell.
However, according to Fabrizio Romano, Everton wasted little time in rejecting this new bid from United, snubbing the offer almost as soon as it was received.
Everton are holding firm to their £70m asking price, believing that Branthwaite deserves to be held in the same regard as the likes of Wesley Fofana, Harry Maguire and Josko Gvardiol, all of whom have commanded similar figures in recent years.
Centre-back is an area of real importance to United this summer and they are keen to recruit two new players before the season starts.
Alongside Branthwaite, talks are also underway with Bayern Munich over Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt, who is keen to reunite with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee is also close to a £34m switch, while United also want a new defensive midfielder and are keen on Paris Saint-Germain's Manuel Ugarte, who 90min understands is valued at €60m (£51m).
To fund their summer shopping spree, United are hopeful of offloading a number of fringe players. Mason Greenwood is wanted by Marseille, while offers for Jadon Sancho, Casemiro and Antony will all be listened to. Donny van de Beek is on the cusp of a cut-price switch to Girona.
READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
feed