Indonesia
South Africa

Man United 'baffle' Everton with £62m defender agreement after Branthwaite failure

sportsmole.co.uk, 18 July 2024, 07:39
Everton have reportedly been left shocked at Manchester United's willingness to fork out £62m for Lille centre-back Leny Yoro after conceding defeat in their pursuit of Jarrad Branthwaite.

Despite Yoro's well-documented wish to join Real Madrid, Los Blancos have not approached Lille with an official offer for the 18-year-old this summer, in contrast to Manchester United.

The Red Devils are now believed to have succeeded with a bid of £52m plus £10m in add-ons, and Yoro reportedly arrived in Manchester for his medical on Wednesday evening, which will precede confirmation of his signing.

Man United are apparently hopeful of completing a deal for Yoro by the close of play on Thursday, and he will become their second high-profile acquisition of the summer following Joshua Zirkzee's £36.5m arrival from Bologna.

With the Red Devils on the cusp of capturing Yoro and also thought to be working on a move for Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt, they have seemingly pulled out of the running to prise Branthwaite away from Everton.

Everton 'surprised' at Man United's Yoro agreement

Man United were initially thought to have earmarked Branthwaite as their top defensive target, but Everton have been playing hardball over a fee, demanding at least £70m and up to £80m for the England international.

The Toffees turned down two offers for their Mancunian counterparts for Branthwaite, one bid worth £35m plus £8m in add-ons and a second which would have gone up to £50m; a £45m initial fee with £5m in bonuses.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Everton have been left 'baffled' at Man United splashing out over £60m on Yoro, who is three years younger than Branthwaite and has not been capped for his country, unlike the Englishman.

As a result, Everton's transfer stance on Branthwaite has supposedly been "emboldened", as the Toffees believe that he should be in the same price bracket as Wesley Fofana, Harry Maguire and Josko Gvardiol.

While those close to United affirmed that the Red Devils are only working with a transfer kitty of around £50m, other sources have supposedly rejected that notion due to the exits of Willy Kambwala, Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek freeing up plenty of room in the budget.

Is Man United's £62m Yoro deal really 'baffling'?

Yes, Yoro may not be a Premier League-proven footballer like Branthwaite and may not turn 19 until November, but Man United forking out £62m for the France Under-23 international should not be met with raised eyebrows.

The 18-year-old has forged a reputation as one of the most talented teenage defenders on the planet, having forced his way into the Lille team under Paulo Fonseca and playing a key role in Les Dogues' qualification for the 2024-25 Champions League.

At 6ft 3in tall, Yoro is also a threat from set-pieces and came up with two goals in 32 Ligue 1 appearances last term, and if Man United had not gone all out, they would have likely not reached an agreement at all.

While Real Madrid have said thanks but no thanks this time around, financial powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain were lurking, which Man United would have been all too aware of.

A £50m package for Branthwaite was hardly a ridiculous offer either, and having knocked back the Red Devils twice, Everton cannot be too shocked that their Premier League rivals moved on.

Top News

5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus are reportedly lining up a move for Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Premier League clash with bitter rivals Manchester United, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Anfield, could allegedly be cancelled due to bad weather, with snow falling overnight in the Liverpool area. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The transfer window is open! Clubs around the UK and Europe have one final chance to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ourense CF vs. Valladolid (Sunday, 11.00am) La Liga's basement side Real Valladolid will be bidding to book their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey when they head to third-tier outfit Ourense CF on Sunday. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Kasimpasa vs. Gaziantep (Sunday, 10.30am) Kasimpasa will look to add more wins to their current unbeaten run when they host Gaziantep at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadyumu on Sunday. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Santa Clara vs. Farense (Sunday, 3.30pm) High-flying Santa Clara welcome relegation-threatened SC Farense in gameweek 17 of the 2024-25 Primeira Liga season on Sunday at the Estadio de Sao Miguel. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Monza vs. Cagliari (Sunday, 11.30am) After both ended 2024 with four straight Serie A defeats, relegation rivals Monza and Cagliari will vie for victory in their year-opening fixture on Sunday. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lens vs. Toulouse (Sunday, 2.00pm) Two sides in the hunt for a place in Europe next season resume their Ligue 1 campaigns on Sunday as Lens host Toulouse at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Hibernian vs. Rangers (Sunday, 12.00pm) Rangers will aim to build on their superb 3-0 victory in the Old Firm Derby as they head to Easter Road Stadium on Sunday to face an in-form Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have agreed to recall Stefan Bajcetic from his loan at Red Bull Salzburg and send him back out in January, with Real Betis heavily linked to the midfielder. 5 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Queens Park Rangers will look to claim a second straight victory when they welcome Luton Town to Loftus Road for Monday's Championship clash. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's pursuit of left-back Julio Soler appears to have ended in failure, with Bournemouth reportedly in advanced talks with Argentine club Lanus for his signature this winter. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly tabled an enormous £78m contract to Trent Alexander-Arnold in an attempt to stop the defender joining Real Madrid for free in the summer. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Matheus Cunha is set to sign a new long-term contract at Wolves, talkSPORT understands. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Tottenham and Newcastle kicked off a thrilling day of Premier League action, but Brentford and Bournemouth did their best to steal the headlines. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Arsenal are facing another injury scare after Ethan Nwaneri was brought off at half-time against Brighton. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Arsenal were pegged back in their quest to catch up with Premier League leaders Liverpool following a 1-1 draw at Brighton. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that he was forced to bring Ethan Nwaneri off at half time in their 1-1 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion due to injury. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool could make a statement to the rest of the Premier League should they heavily beat Ruben Amorim's deflated Manchester United side, according to Reds experts David Lynch. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona eased their way into the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey on Saturday evening courtesy of a 4-0 success over fourth-tier outfit Barbastro at Estadio Municipal de Deportes de Barbastro. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal missed the chance to move to within three points of Premier League leaders Liverpool as a spirited Brighton & Hove Albion held them to a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City defender Issa Kabore is reportedly on the verge of joining a Bundesliga club on loan for the rest of the season. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Ethan Nwaneri has joined an exclusive club with his latest Arsenal goal. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has set a new Premier League managerial record after his Manchester City side battled to a 4-1 win over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal phenom Ethan Nwaneri has written a new page of Gunners history thanks to his opening goal in the Gunners' Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Liverpool are set to recall Stefan Bajcetic from his loan at Red Bull Salzburg. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly suffered a setback in their attempts to sign Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain, who could instead be part of a sensational swap deal with an Aston Villa striker. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly made a £23m offer for Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis, with the Seagulls looking to beat a number of major clubs to the teenager's signature. 4 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly running the rule over teenage Sheffield United striker Ryan One amid continued uncertainty over the future of Darwin Nunez. 4 January 2025 talksport.com Mikel Arteta has explained why Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli are not in his Arsenal starting XI against Brighton.