Man Utd ‘hire lawyer’ to force through controversial defender deal as Ratcliffe gets desperate

Manchester United’s hunt for a new centre-back is set to enter a strange new phase with Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly ‘hiring a lawyer’ to force through a deal.

As we have consistently reported, Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite is the Red Devils’ top target but his price tag of £70m is proving to be a stumbling block.

Man Utd’s opening £43m bid (with add-ons) for the 21-year-old was laughed off by the Toffees, and now Ratcliffe is ready to send another offer.

However, a report from journalist Sacha Tavolieri suggests that Man Utd have not given up hope of signing another centre-back target, Jean-Clair Todibo.

Recruitment chiefs at Old Trafford are big admirers of the Frenchman, but a move for him was deemed impossible because Ratcliffe’s INEOS group also owns his club, Nice.

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With Man Utd and Nice both competing in the Europa League next season, UEFA’s regulations say that player transfers cannot occur between the two clubs.

However, the report claims that Ratcliffe is planning drastic action to try and get the deal done.

Man Utd still pushing for Todibo deal

Tavolieri, as cited by Get French Football News, claims that INEOS are set to ‘contest the ruling’ made by UEFA and have ‘hired a Swiss lawyer, Gianpaolo Monteneri, to plead their case to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS)’.

Ratcliffe has already voiced his frustration at the situation in a recent interview.

“They’ve (UEFA) said that we can sell him to another [Premier League] club, but we can’t sell to Manchester United but that’s not fair on the player and I don’t see what that achieves,” he said.

Whether Man Utd will be successful in their court case remains to be seen, but what’s certain is that they’re doing all they can to sign Todibo this summer.

The club have already announced that Raphael Varane will be leaving the club when his contract officially expires at the end of this week.

The futures of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire are also uncertain, so the Red Devils may need to sign more than one new centre-back this summer.

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TEAMtalk understands that Man Utd do remain very keen on Branthwaite and will try again to bring him in, but as mentioned, Everton’s price tag is too high.

They are also admirers of England and Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi and have even considered offering Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a part-exchange deal for him.

Guehi’s future will likely be decided after the end of the Euros with Arsenal and his former club Chelsea also interested.