Man Utd "ready" to spend £50m+ to sign "complete" 22yo star for Amorim - report

Manchester United are prepared to revive their interest in signing their long-term target this summer.

The Red Devils are likely to bolster their backline at the end of the campaign with the possibility of several exits.

Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are expected to depart when their contracts expire at the end of June.

Lisandro Martinez is sidelined with a serious knee injury and may not be available for most of the year.

United need to spend big on a left-footed centre-back, and The Sun claim that Jarrad Branthwaite is back on their radar.

The club want the Englishman as their next defensive kingpin and are ‘ready to meet’ the £50 million+ price for his services.

However, there is a twist with the central defender determined to join a Champions League outfit ahead of next season.

The 22-year-old believes playing at the highest level in Europe could persuade manager Thomas Tuchel to pick him in the England squad for the World Cup.

United are still confident that they can get a deal over the line this summer.

Red Devils set to make fresh swoop for Branthwaite

Branthwaite was the top target for the Mancunian giants last summer. Personal terms were agreed with the player, but a deal did not materialise with the Toffees.

The Red Devils made an opening bid of around £43m on the table, but the Merseyside outfit were reluctant to sanction his sale for anything less than £70m.

United came up with a renewed offer, which was likewise turned down. With another top season for Branthwaite, the asking price could be similar this summer.

Branthwaite, described as ‘very complete‘ by manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, would be a perfect acquisition for the left centre-back role under manager Ruben Amorim.

The 22-year-old is also comfortable passing with his right foot and could play anywhere in the back three.

The centre-back has had another fine league campaign. He has won 65 percent of his duels, with 6.3 clearances and 3.1 recoveries per outing. He has averaged 1.4 tackles.

Branthwaite’s passing accuracy is on the lower side at 82 percent. This should improve at United, where he will have players with better ball-retention skills in front of him.

It appears a no-brainer decision to sign the Carlisle United graduate. United should be optimistic about landing him even if they don’t win the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League.

Branthwaite gave the green light for a transfer last year and could be tempted to join this time with the opportunity to secure regular minutes in a three-man backline.

Stats from Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .