According to The Sun, Manchester United are aiming to steal the march for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite with the help of Jason Wilcox.
The Red Devils are currently in talks with Southampton to appoint Wilcox as their transfer guru and are confident of brokering a compensation deal in the coming days.
Branthwaite is one of their prime transfer targets and The Sun claim that Wilcox could put United in pole position due to his close relationship with the defender’s agent David Reeves.
United want to make Branthwaite one of their marquee signings in Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s rebuild but he won’t come on the cheap. A fee of more than £80 million will be required to sign him.
Huge talent
Branthwaite has made huge progress since becoming a mainstay with the Toffees this campaign. He had a good loan stint with PSV Eindhoven last season and has carried over his form into the Premier League, where he has been one of the most consistent central defenders when it comes to defensive contributions.
The 21-year-old has won an impressive 68% of his duels this campaign with 5.3 recoveries and 4.1 clearances per appearance. He has also made close to 2 tackles per outing for the Merseyside outfit. His passing accuracy stands at only 79%, but it should improve at a bigger club with more quality players around him.
With his huge talent and potential, Everton are set to demand a premium transfer fee. A £80 million price tag does not seem out of order for one of the best centre-backs in the country. United are likely to face competition from Premier League rivals but they will be hoping to use Wilcox to find a verbal agreement with the youngster.
Branthwaite is a left-footed player, but he has the ability to play from the right and left central defensive positions. Hence, he could be a regular starter alongside Lisandro Martinez at United next season rather than being considered as a back-up or direct competitor to the World Cup winner.
