Manchester United to begin Jarrad Branthwaite talks with Everton today as frosty response mooted
Manchester United intend to begin talks with Everton over a summer transfer for Jarrad Branthwaite on Friday 14 June, according to BBC Sport.
The outlet reported on its website on Thursday (13 June) that the Red Devils are expected to begin discussions with the Toffees on the first day of the summer transfer window to try and sign the 21-year-old defender.
Personal terms are understood to have already been agreed upon between the player's representatives and United, however, the response from the Blues is expected to be "frosty" when transfer talks get underway.
Everton do not want to sell their star defender as they believe it is a matter of time before he becomes an England regular, with their valuation currently sitting at around £80million.
Will Manchester United and Erik ten Hag sign Jarrad Branthwaite in the summer transfer window?
The Toffees stance throughout the early stages of the summer transfer window has been incredibly clear. Despite speculation from those outside of the club, they insist they do not need to sell stars at a cut price to comply with PSR.
That will truly be tested over the next few days as talks begin with Manchester United over Branthwaite's future. The Red Devils will certainly test the water with a low offer for his services and the Blues' reaction will tell fans all they need to know.
Hopefully, they will stick to their guns and stand by their valuation. £80million is a lot of money, but Branthwaite is worth every penny of that to Sean Dyche's side and therefore they are entitled to ask for that sort of fee.
Whether or not he is worth that much to United remains to be seen, but all should become clearer in the coming days. If all goes to plan at Goodison, the Toffees will either receive an incredible transfer fee or keep one of their most important players.
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