United’s hopes of finalising deal for priority target dented as club negotiates vital PSR boost

One of the reasons Manchester United were thought to be confident in getting a deal for Jarrad Branthwaite over the line was due to Everton’s precarious financial situation.

As such, that’s presumably why the Reds started their bidding well below Everton’s £70 million asking price with a £35m proposal to try and test their resolve. However, this was swiftly rejected and deemed ‘unacceptable’ by the Merseyside outfit.

Following a report from Paul Joyce of The Times this afternoon, it now looks as though United have been handed a significant blow in their pursuit of the centre-half after Aston Villa opened talks with the Toffees over youngster Lewis Dobbin.

Read more: Romano ‘almost sure’ United will move for PL midfielder coached by Ten Hag if one player leaves

Everton on track to receive crucial PSR boost

Should an agreement be fulfilled, the Blues would receive a vital injection of funds that would work wonders for them while balancing the books in compliance with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.

Last season, they suffered two separate points deductions for breaching the regulations and now have little room for manoeuvre in the market without sanctioning player exits.

In line with that, the report adds that United have made it clear they won’t pay over the odds for Branthwaite, regardless of how highly they rate him. Other targets, such as Leny Yoro, Marc Guehi and Matthijs de Ligt, may be targeted instead.