Man Utd given riposte after £35m bid as Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to hurt Prem rivals again

Manchester United are set to be rebuffed by Everton after putting forward a £35million offer for Jarrad Branthwaite. The centre-back was a star performer for Sean Dyche’s side last season as the Toffees avoided Premier League relegation despite being hit with an eight-point deduction following a breach of profit and sustainability rules.

The summer transfer window opened on Friday, with clubs finally being given the opportunity to bring in new faces.

And the Red Devils are desperate to add fresh talent after finishing eighth in the top-flight last season – their lowest position of the Premier League era.

On Thursday, the BBC reported that United would be given a ‘frosty’ response by Everton if they presented an offer for Branthwaite, even though they had agreed personal terms with the defender.

Dyche’s team don’t want to sell the 21-year-old, who was included in England’s provisional Euro 2024 squad before being purged from the final 26.

The Merseyside giants rate the player in the same bracket as United ace Harry Maguire and Manchester City star Josko Gvardiol, who moved to the north west for fees of £80million and £77m respectively.

But Everton could be forced into a sale as they look to improve their financial position, with director of football Kevin Thelwell admitting last month that players “will be sold”.

And he added: “The reality is, given the regulations in place and the club’s current financial position, we have to trade well. Working within such tight financial parameters makes the job extremely difficult.

“Whilst we want to ensure that the team is as competitive as possible, we cannot lose sight of our central objective to protect the long-term stability of the club.”

United boss Erik ten Hag will be given the opportunity to lead his team once again next season following an end-of-season review from minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and other club chiefs. And the Red Devils’ pursuit of Branthwaite means they may hurt a fourth Premier League rival following a rebuild behind-the-scenes.

In January, the 13-time Premier League champions completed a move to take Omar Berrada from Manchester City to Old Trafford as the club’s new chief executive. And in April, United appointed Jason Wilcox as their technical director. The former England international joined the club from Southampton after previously spending six years working as Pep Guardiola’s academy manager at the Etihad Stadium.

Meanwhile, United are also desperately trying to agree a compensation package with Newcastle to enable Dan Ashworth to begin a new project in the north west.