Man Utd about to complete £75m center back before June deadline
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to get a CB deal done early
Manchester United’s hierarchy are reportedly expecting to complete a deal for a top Premier League centre-back before a June deadline potentially scuppers their chances.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe currently has his Old Trafford football operations team scouring the market for fresh additions as a busy summer of ins and outs brews at Old Trafford.
Centre-back is one position where the Red Devils are starting to look thin following Raphael Varane’s departure, while Harry Maguire’s future remains up the air.
Jonny Evans indicated, however, that he is open to extending his stay at United.
After joining as a surprise free transfer last summer, the 36-year-old ended up making 30 appearances in all competitions for Erik ten Hag’s side due to several injuries to players ahead of him in the pecking order.
“I’ve always had that determination, I knew that when I’d get in this season that I would make the most of it and that the club would value me,” Evans told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.
“I think I had the belief I would be able to do that, I think I did do that and I back myself to play well and stil feel I’ve got a bit to offer.”
Asked if he is confident about remaining at Old Trafford, Evans replied: “Yeah, if they want me to stay it won’t be a difficult deal to make.”
But even if Evans stays, Ratcliffe wants another central defender on board to provide greater depth in the position and avoid scenarios like Casemiro having to play the position, as he did unsuccessfully towards the end of last season.
Ratcliffe pushing hard for Branthwaite deal
To that end, Everton and England man Jarrad Branthwaite remains United’s top option, although a deal needs to get done before the end of June.
Everton were deducted eight points this past season after two separate breaches of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and it’s understood that the club remain under pressure to ease their finances before the June 30 deadline, which marks the end of the financial year for top-flight teams.
And, according to the Liverpool Echo, United believe they can capitalise on Everton’s financial situation this month – that’s despite the Toffees still being adamant of a fee in the region of £75million for the talented 21-year-old.
The report adds that while the Merseyside outfit are still hoping to keep Branthwaite at Goodison Park, they remain open to a quicker move from United after Brathwaite was dropped from England’s final Euro 2024 squad this week – a decision from Gareth Southgate that was met particularly well at by some.
United, meanwhile, are also cautious about their own spending this summer due to those same PSR issues, which stopped Ten Hag from being able to bring in a new striker during the January transfer window.
And, despite Ten Hag’s job still being on the line, it appears that Ratcliffe is pushing ahead with moves to bring ton top targets as early in the window as possible to make whoever is in the hotseat’s life as easy as possible in the build-up to the next campaign.
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