Everton are not actively looking to sell star man Jarrad Branthwaite – and will only reluctantly sanction a sale for close to their £80m valuation.
Manchester United fired the starting pistol on potentially one of the biggest moves of the summer transfer window with a £45m opening offer on Friday.
There is optimism at Old Trafford that they will be able to sign the 21-year-old, identified by new part owners Ineos as a perfect long-term investment who can perform at a high level now while also growing to become one of the best in the league.
Personal terms are understood to have been agreed with the centre-back, although i understands that Branthwaite has not yet indicated to Everton that he has a desire to move to Old Trafford.
And that news has not altered Everton’s long-held stance on Branthwaite: that they want to keep him and it would take an offer that matches or comes close to their £80m to persuade them to part with a player they believe will be a regular in the England team.
There is a measure of bemusement at Goodison Park at the Branthwaite news given no fee has been agreed with Manchester United. While there is a need for player trading at Everton this summer – director of football Kevin Thelwell has explicitly admitted that – the club have consistently rubbished talk of there being a dire need to generate funds.
With the end of the accounting year arriving in June, it has been speculated that Everton are one of a number of clubs who need to sell to avoid breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) – but they have other assets who could be sold.
i understands the club would allow midfielder Amadou Onana, who has interest from Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester United, to depart for the right offer.
Everton are less sanguine on Branthwaite and his fee. A price of £70m – which Manchester United have previously baulked at – is understood to be on the skinny side given Everton’s valuation is pegged to the price Harry Maguire commanded when he became the world record transfer for a defender back in 2019.
It may take Branthwaite himself to indicate that he wants to leave to put the wheels in motion for a transfer that Everton insiders insist is “far from cut and dried”.
Optimism on Merseyside has been creeping up with a raft of interest in acquiring majority owner Farhad Moshiri’s share in the club since the collapse of the 777 takeover at the start of the month.
Vici Private Finance, a consortium backed by two billionaires, is the latest group to throw their hat in the ring after a week dominated by claims of offers and interest.
The front runners still appear to be Evertonian businessmen Andy Bell and George Downing, backed by financing provided by the family office of US billionaire Michael Dell, but well-timed leaks will help Moshiri encourage a bidding war for his stake.