Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada had a big role to play in withdrawing the club’s interest in Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite this summer, according to ESPN.
The Red Devils were widely tipped to bolster their central defence in the last transfer window. Branthwaite was the priority target at the start, but a deal did not materialise.
Personal terms were agreed over a £150,000-£160,000 per week contract, but United did not oblige to the transfer request of the Toffees for the England international.
The Merseyside outfit valued Branthwaite at £75 million, comparing him with Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol, who arrived from RB Leipzig for a similar package last summer.
However, Berrada priced the 22-year-old in the region of £50-60m and refused to go any higher, citing his lack of relative experience compared to the Croatian sensation.
United adopted a similar strategy for the rest of the window. The club only paid the full price to sign Lille’s Leny Yoro, who was viewed as a ‘unique market opportunity‘.
Branthwaite, who was described as ‘very brave‘ by Arsenal legend Ian Wright, had a stand-out campaign with the Toffees last term.
He was fantastic defensively and helped them avoid relegation despite their eight-point deduction for breaking PSR spending limits.
United were aiming to capitalise on Everton’s failed takeover to secure an early agreement, but the Toffees were quite clear from the off that Branthwaite won’t leave for a discounted fee.
Amadou Onana’s £50m move to Aston Villa eventually eased the Toffees’ financial concerns. In our opinion, United made the right choice by refusing to meet the huge price for Branthwaite.
The club have been guilty in the past of overpaying for their top targets. Antony was probably their worst piece of business. ESPN claim that he was initially valued at £40m by Ajax, but the Dutch outfit capitalised on prolonged negotiations to get £80m from the Red Devils.
Prior to Berrada, John Murtough was in charge of transfer proceedings under the Glazers. United could have easily paid £75m for Branthwaite, thereby missing out on other targets.
The strong stance on the spending limits from Berrada meant that the club signed the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte for lower fixed fees with performance add-ons.
