Man Utd ‘confident’ bid of £60m-£70m can shatter Tottenham dream and secure dream Ratcliffe signing

Manchester United believe a bid in the £60m-£70m range can secure the signature of a Tottenham target Sir Jim Ratcliffe has installed as his No 1 transfer option, according to numerous reports.

GiveMeSport recently reported new co-owner Ratcliffe has put an end to the era of ‘Hollywood’ signings at Old Trafford. Gone are the days of signing ageing superstars in the autumn of their careers. Two of the more recent arrivals of that type – Raphael Varane and Casemiro – could both depart the club this summer.

Ratcliffe wants his club to sign younger stars who are either British or at the very least boast Premier League experience. The idea is to sign stars who’ll spend their prime years in Manchester, unlike Varane and Casemiro whose best days were at Real Madrid.

One player who ticks every box for Ratcliffe’s new transfer policy is Everton ace Jarrad Branthwaite.

A report from the Mirror in March declared the 21-year-old to be Ratcliffe’s No 1 target in the centre-half position.

They stated Ratcliffe had instructed his underlings to sanction a move for Branthwaite irrespective of whether Erik ten Hag remains the manager.

Branthwaite has struck up a rock solid partnership with James Tarkowski this season. The pair have helped the Toffees produce the league’s fourth-meanest defence. Only Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have conceded fewer than Everton’s mark of 48 goals.

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The rising defender further enhanced his growing reputation on Wednesday night when opening the scoring in Everton’s 2-0 derby victory over the Reds.

Branthwaite also received his maiden call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad during the last international break.

While the left-footer did not feature in the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, he’s widely viewed as a player who could win 50-plus caps for the Three Lions in the years to come.

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Everton could sell quickly this summer

Everton’s financial woes necessitate a major sale or two to balance the books this summer. According to a fresh update from Football Insider, Everton could look to cash in before June 30 to ensure the proceeds count towards their accounts for the 2023/24 season.

TEAMtalk exclusively learned Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has suggested the Englishman to his bosses in north London. Like Man Utd, Spurs are on the hunt for a readymade centre-half this summer.

Adding Branthwaite to a centre-back corps already containing Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin would put Spurs in a good place in the heart of their defence for many a year to come.

Signing Branthwaite would also give Postecoglou the perfect blend of two right-footers and two left-footers.

TEAMtalk learned Everton’s realistic expectation is a £70m transfer fee, though they’ll push to generate £75m if they can. The Toffees are understood to be using the £75m Chelsea paid Leicester to sign Wesley Fofana in 2022 as a benchmark.

Man Utd confident deal can be struck

Per the update from FI, Man Utd are ‘confident’ a deal can be struck for a potentially lower sum in the £60m-£70m range.

The outlet also reaffirmed Branthwaite is a ‘top target’ for Man Utd for their rear-guard.

The Mirror’s write-up back in March suggested United could open the bidding at £50m. If FI’s latest update is accurate, a bid of at least £10m more will be required to seal a deal, though an agreement is there to be made.

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