Exclusive: Man United weigh up €55-60m opening bid for Arsenal & Chelsea transfer target

Manchester United directors are making Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite a priority transfer target this summer and the club are weighing up an opening offer in the region of €55-60million.

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Sources with a close understanding of Man Utd’s plans have informed CaughtOffside that the Red Devils are waiting to clarify Erik ten Hag’s future as manager first, but that the 21-year-old defender is firmly on their radar, while other top clubs in England and Europe are also monitoring his situation.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also admirers of Branthwaite, CaughtOffside understands, and Everton are ready to sell the England Under-21 international to help them with their financial problems.

However, Everton’s current estimation of Branthwaite is understood to be in the region of £80million, which clubs are not willing to pay.

Branthwaite transfer: Could he be worth the money for Man United?Jarrad Branthwaite to Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea?Branthwaite could be just what United in defence this summer, with Raphael Varane leaving the club and with others like Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof not looking particularly convincing in recent times.

It seems a deal is there to be done, but it won’t come cheap, so it remains to be seen if MUFC will continue to pursue this, or perhaps end up exploring other options.

Everton may have to be a bit more realistic with their demands, as Branthwaite is probably not an £80m player yet, even if he does look like a top prospect for the future.

Arsenal already have William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes as two world class options at the back, so it’s hard to see them splashing too much cash on someone like Branthwaite, while the player himself would probably do well to consider other destinations where he’d have a better chance of playing more regularly.

Chelsea, meanwhile, could also do with a top young defender like Branthwaite, and might be seen as a slightly more appealing destination than United right now as their new project seems a little more settled and clearly defined.