Manchester United are now expected to make a £60m offer for a “physical beast” in the January transfer window, as a replacement for a current first-team player.
Man Utd looking to bolster defence after shaky start
Man United are yet to keep a clean sheet across the six games they’ve played in all competitions this season, with even League Two Grimsby Town managing to get the better of Andre Onana twice in the EFL Cup second round at the end of August.
Ruben Amorim has tried to address one of the issues by bringing in Senne Lammens at the end of the summer window, but the 23-year-old is yet to start, with Altay Bayindir keeping his place in the starting XI.
It remains to be seen what sort of impact Lammens can make, given that the Belgian is still young, and is yet to prove himself in a major league, having only ever played in Belgium.
As such, the Red Devils have now started looking at other ways in which they can shore things up at the back, and they have now set their sights on a Premier League defender.
That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Man United are now the club showing the strongest interest in signing Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, who could be brought in as a replacement for Harry Maguire.
Liverpool and two other unnamed top flight clubs are keen on Branthwaite, but United’s interest may well be the most advanced, given that they are expected to make a £60m bid for his services in the January transfer window.
It is unclear whether the Toffees would be willing to sanction a departure, but the 23-year-old wants a big move, and United still have plenty of pulling power.
“Physical beast” Branthwaite could be solid Maguire replacement
A towering presence at 6’5, the Everton defender is slightly taller than Maguire, and could have the ability to succeed at Old Trafford, having been lauded as a two-footed “ball-playing physical beast” by scout Ben Mattinson.
At just 23-years-old, the defender is at the right age to be a long-term success at United, and he has already established himself in the Premier League over the previous two seasons with Everton, with Jordan Pickford left particularly impressed.
Due to a hamstring injury, the Englishman is yet to feature for Everton this season, but he was solid throughout the 2024-25 campaign in the Premier League, averaging a 7.02 SofaScore rating, compared to 6.91 from Maguire.
There are question marks over whether £60m may be a little pricey, given that Branthwaite is yet to establish himself at international level, but he is clearly a talented defender, still in the early stages of his career.
