Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite agrees personal terms with Manchester United

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has moved a stepped closer to leaving the club after agreeing personal terms with Manchester United.

However, the transfer is not a foregone conclusion, with United unwilling to meet Everton’s hefty asking price for the centre-back.

The Toffees want at least £70 million for Branthwaite – a figure which is in the same ball-park as recent big-money transfers for other highly-rated centre-backs.

With Man United’s budget restricted by Profit and Sustainability (PSR) concerns, the fee is a significant obstacle to the proposed summer move.

While Everton also have PSR issues to contend with, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says they are unwilling to negotiate a lower fee for Branthwaite this summer.

“What I can confirm on the player side is that the player would be happy to join Manchester United - even without Champions League football, the player is keen,” Romano said.

“Personal terms are not a problem. The Times yesterday night reported this story and on the player side there is no issue - Branthwaite would be keen on joining Manchester United.

“The real issue is Everton - they have no intention to negotiate a normal fee or an acceptable fee. At the moment they are asking for big money - something around £65-70 million, not less than this.”

Man United make opening bid for Branthwaite

While the 21-year-old has agreed personal terms with Man United, it appears his dream move is a long way to coming to fruition.

United have made an opening bid worth £45m to sign Branthwaite, but the proposal will likely be rejected by the Merseyside outfit.

The Toffees have insisted that Branthwaite is not for sale this summer, but they would be unable to refuse an offer if it meets their asking price.

According to ESPN, the Red Devils are prepared to switch their attention to other targets if Everton refuse to negotiate the hefty asking price.

Jean-Clair Todibo, Marc Guehi, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro have all been linked with United this summer and could be viable targets for them.

However, Everton rate Branthwaite in a similar bracket to Josko Gvardiol, who cost Manchester City £77m when he moved from RB Leipzig last summer.

Left-footed centre-backs are a sought-after commodity in the transfer market and Everton feel this gives them the upper hand in negotiations.

The Toffees are also aware of how Branthwaite stacks up against other English centre-backs, despite his omission from the 2024 European Championship squad.

He was included in the preliminary 33-man list, but was surprisingly axed by England manager Gareth Southgate when he cut the squad to 26 players.

However, when compared with Guehi, John Stones, Lewis Dunk and Harry Maguire, the Everton centre-back emerges favourably in several key metrics.

His average of 1.9 tackles per match, clean sheet average of 0.4 per match and 3,117 minutes played are all better than his English counterparts.

Branthwaite's top speed of 35.1 km/h places him eighth out of all Premier League central defenders, further highlighting why United want to sign him.

He was a standout performer for Everton last season, helping the club record the fourth best defensive record in the English top flight.

Only the top three of Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool conceded less than Everton – a remarkable achievement considering Everton finished 15th in the table.

Everton must stand firm over Branthwaite fee

While Everton also need to balance their books this summer, selling Branthwaite for significantly less than the asking price makes little sense in the grand scheme of things.

He is a perfect fit in manager Sean Dyche’s system alongside James Tarkowski and would be extremely difficult to replace if he is sold.

Branthwaite was named Players' Player of the Season and Fans' Young Player of the Season, which demonstrates how highly he is thought of at the club.

Everton have plenty of other saleable assets who would fetch substantial fees including Jordan Pickford, Amadou Onana and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

While the club would keep all four players in an ideal world, Branthwaite would unquestionably be the hardest to replace if he moves on this summer.

Another factor which needs to be considered is whether joining Man United this summer makes sense for Branthwaite at this stage of his career.

The price tag could weigh heavily on his shoulders, while the pressure of delivering success at a club which has been starved of it in recent years may be too much to handle.

Former Everton defender Conor Coady recently backed up that viewpoint by suggesting that another season on Merseyside would benefit Branthwaite’s development.

“Everyone has seen him linked with Manchester United and all these sorts of things,” Coady told the BBC. “A little bit inside me thinks, 'I don't think it's a waste if you do another year' [at Everton].

“'Everton fans absolutely love you - they adore you. You are going to play every minute of every game, Sean Dyche loves you."

Everton may eventually find some common ground with United

As is often the case with big money transfers, there is a fair degree of posturing going on between Man United and Everton.

United’s opening offer is clearly under market value, while Everton are probably being a tad ambitious in placing a £70m valuation on Branthwaite.

An offer of around £55m plus some achievable add-ons may ultimately enough for the two clubs to agree a deal over the next few weeks.