Man Utd ‘continue tracking’ Jarrad Branthwaite as Ashworth ponders £143m swoop for England duo

Manchester United haven’t given up on signing Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and could make a move for his England teammate Eberechi Eze, per reports.

The Red Devils made five new additions over the summer, bringing in Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte for a combined £176m.

Branthwaite was the one who got away. The Everton defender was Man Utd’s top target for much of the summer, but the Toffees stood firm on their price tag of over £75m.

Man Utd were unwilling to go that high for him after having two lower offers rejected, and ultimately brought in De Ligt and Yoro as defensive reinforcements instead.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Man Utd’s sporting director Dan Ashworth is ‘expected to continue tracking’ the 22-year-old, who is yet to make an appearance this season due to injury.

The report claims that the Red Devils have drawn up a shortlist of targets for January and beyond, and Branthwaite and Eze are both admired.

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Man Utd eye Eberechi Eze swoop

Eze, 26, was one of Crystal Palace’s standout performers last season, notching 11 goals and making six assists in 31 appearances across all competitions.

Manchester City and Tottenham were heavily linked with the England star, who can play as a winger or attacking midfielder, but a move never materialised. This came as a shock to Palace, who had lined up PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko to replace him.

But Eze’s long-term future at Selhurst Park is still under threat. It has emerged that he has a £68m release clause that can be activated at the end of this season.

Man Utd have four wingers at their disposal after Jadon Sancho’s loan move to Chelsea that includes an obligation to buy Sancho for between £20m and £25m.

Alejandro Garnacho, 20, and Amad Diallo, 22, are still youngsters and lacking experience, whereas Marcus Rashford is in a poor run of form and £86m flop Antony has made just one appearance this season.

Eze could give Erik ten Hag a superb new wide option and also fill in for Bruno Fernandes in the number 10 role when required.

It will be interesting to see whether Man Utd will cough up the £68m required to sign Eze next summer. If he has another excellent season, it seems inevitable he’ll be leaving the Eagles for a top club.

As for Branthwaite, it’s unlikely that Everton will budge on his £75m price tag given he’s under contract until 2027 and is a vital player for them.

The Toffees’ could be forced into a cut-price sale if they are relegated, however.

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