After agreeing terms with Cumbrian defender Jarrad Branthwaite, Manchester United have made a bid of around £35m which Everton are ready to reject.
The Toffees value the player in the region of £80m and insist they do not want to sell the player who made his England debut recently but missed out on selection for the Euros.
The Goodison club fully expect Branthwaite to become an England regular and as such believe he should be considered in the same bracket as United’s own Harry Maguire and the Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol.
Comparing transfer fees, Everton say United paid £80m for Maguire in 2019 while Gvardiol cost City £77m last summer.
Branthwaite has a contract with Everton until the summer of 2027, but the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules may force the club towards a sale this summer.
Branthwaite, who hails from Wigton, has had an excellent first season in the Premier League and was a key figure in Sean Dyche’s team surviving in the top flight despite a couple of points deductions.
Carlisle United will be watching events closely because the stand to gain from a sell-on clause when they sold Branthwaite to Everton in 2020.
United haven’t explicitly spoken about the exact percentage that they would receive from any transfer fee paid to the Toffees for Branthwaite, however Carlisle’s chief executive Nigel Clibbens has said that the club could make ‘a significant amount of money’ from the defender being sold.
