Manchester United have made progress in their bid to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich, though Sean Dyche is determined not to see Jarrad Branthwaite leave Everton for Old Trafford.
Man Utd kickstarted their revamp under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS by signing Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee and French defender Leny Yoro in deals worth £36million and £59m respectively. Yoro has unfortunately suffered an injury in pre-season, but even before that issue Man Utd were on the hunt for another new central defender.
Ratcliffe’s top two targets for the position are De Ligt of Bayern and Everton star Branthwaite.
Man Utd have agreed personal terms with both players as they are attracted by the possibility of shining at the Theatre of Dreams.
However, as Ratcliffe is refusing to overpay for players, as Man Utd have done in the past, deals for De Ligt and Branthwaite have been hard to come by.
Bayern are holding out for €50m (£42m) before selling their Dutch star, whereas Man Utd would rather pay around £34m.
