Exclusive: Man United make contact over potential alternative to Jarrad Branthwaite transfer, says expert

Manchester United have made contact over the potential transfer of Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, though the player will not decide anything while he’s at Euro 2024 with the Netherlands.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Fabrizio Romano stated that De Ligt is one of the names being considered by Man Utd, with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite also an option, though he currently looks too expensive.

De Ligt has not quite been at his best for Bayern so it perhaps makes sense that he could be allowed to leave this summer, and it would be interesting to see if he could revive his career at Old Trafford, where he’d be reunited with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag.

United need a top defensive signing this summer after the departure of Raphael Varane, with concern also over the ageing and injury-prone Harry Maguire.

Branthwaite is proven in the Premier League, so might be the slightly more tempting option, though it also makes sense that Everton wouldn’t want to let him go to a Premier League rival for anything less than crazy money.

De Ligt transfer considered as Branthwaite too expensive for Man United

“Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United could be one to watch this summer as we know they’ve been exploring the market for centre-backs. There’s now been contact between Man United and De Ligt’s representatives, but we may have to wait a bit longer for something more concrete to happen,” Romano said.

“At the moment De Ligt doesn’t want any distraction during the Euros, but for sure Man United made contact with his agent to understand the situation. United are considering a move – nothing is decided yet but he’s one of the names on their list. There’s still no proposal from United or any other club.

“Jarrad Branthwaite remains on the list at United too, but the £70m fee required by Everton is still considered too expensive. Let’s see if De Ligt can be signed on more favourable terms, or if they consider other alternatives in that position as well.”